
Judge proposes former Spain soccer boss Luis Rubiales should stand trial for unwanted kiss
CNN
A judge has proposed that Spain’s former soccer boss, Luis Rubiales, should stand trial for giving an unwanted kiss to star forward Jennifer Hermoso after the national team’s 2023 Women’s World Cup victory, the National Court press office in Madrid said in statement Thursday.
A judge has proposed that Spain’s former soccer boss, Luis Rubiales, should stand trial for giving an unwanted kiss to star forward Jennifer Hermoso after the national team’s 2023 Women’s World Cup victory, the National Court press office in Madrid said in statement Thursday. In a five-page ruling, viewed by CNN, investigating judge Francisco de Jorge, wrote that his investigation “has revealed the existence of solid indications that the kiss” to Hermoso “was not consensual and was a unilateral and surprise initiative” by Rubiales. The kiss was televised globally as Spain’s players lined up to receive their medals from major political and football figures after their victory last August. Rubiales, then president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), was seen kissing Hermoso on the lips, then slapping her twice on the back, sparking an immediate outcry in Spain and internationally over consent. Rubiales had described the kiss as “mutual” – a claim Hermoso has denied, saying she did not consent and was not respected. Rubiales resigned as RFEF president last September following weeks of pressure and now faces potential prosecution over his alleged actions.