Luis Rubiales, the ex-chief of the Spanish football body, will face the courts accused of uninvitedly kissing national team member, Jenni Hermoso, announced by the court on Wednesday. This situation led to Rubiales being charged with one account of sexual infringement and another for the alleged manipulation that followed.
Penalties for these charges entail jail sentences of one year and a further 18 months, respectively. The high court will also examine the case against Jorge Vilda, the earlier women’s national team coach, Albert Luque, the current sports director for the team, and Ruben Rivera, the marketing manager for the federation. These men have allegedly tried to influence Hermoso into asserting that the kiss had her consent.
Reportedly, Rubiales (aged 46) had seized Hermoso at an awards event, post the triumph of Spain in the Women’s World Cup in Sydney on August 20th last year. This caused an uproar globally and led to discussions on sexism in Spain.
Although Hermoso and her colleagues expressed the kiss as undesired and belittling, Rubiales insists it had her permission and he rebuts any charges or blasphemous allegations. The court has issued a bail of €65,000 (£55,900) for Rubiales for the sexual assault charge. Another sum amounting to €65,000 was collected from Rubiales, Vilda, Luque, and Rivera for the manipulation charges.
Since these supposed crimes took place internationally, they fall under the purview of the high court.