SPAIN's World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso has told a court that former football chief Luis Rubiales’ forced kiss “stained one of the happiest days of my life.". Hermoso, 34, was the first witness to appear at a court in Madrid as Rubiales' sexual assault trial began on Monday. Rubiales, 47, is accused of sexual assault and coercion over the kiss he planted on Hermoso at the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, where Spain defeated England.

The former Spanish FA boss, who initially refused to resign and dismissed the controversy as a “witch hunt by fake feminism,” faces up to two and a half years in prison if convicted. Rubiales has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, insisting the kiss was a “peck between friends celebrating.”. Taking the stand at Madrid’s Audiencia Nacional court, Hermoso described how Rubiales grabbed her head and kissed her without consent.

"I didn't hear or understand anything," she told the court. "The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth. "I felt it was totally out of place and I then realised my boss was kissing me, and this shouldn't happen in any social or work setting. "A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so.". She added: "As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life.".

Hermoso said the pressure campaign left her fearful for her safety, forcing her to leave Madrid. “From the first moment I reached Spain I had cameras after me 24 hours, people following me, people taking photos while I was having breakfast with my family. I had to leave Madrid with my family," she said. “I felt fear at times of being in the street. I received death threats and messages of all types and we had to leave Madrid because the situation was unbearable.

"It was a change in my life and I still say my life changed from that minute.”. The court also heard that just hours after the kiss, Rubiales and his aides allegedly pressured Hermoso to declare it was consensual to contain the growing backlash. She was called off the team bus at Sydney’s stadium and shown a statement she was expected to sign. Hermoso recalled breaking down in tears as pressure mounted on her to publicly downplay the incident.

The Spanish footballer told the court:  “I skim-read it and said and knew I hadn’t written a word of it. “It was a statement I had supposedly drafted myself and consented to being put out to fan the flames of the fuss that was being created by the kiss. “The statement said Luis Rubiales and I were good friends and the kiss happened in the effusiveness of the moment. I said I didn’t agree to it going out.”.

On the flight back to Spain, Rubiales allegedly approached Hermoso personally, pleading with her to back him publicly. “He told me, ‘Please, my two daughters are in the back of the plane crying,’” she said, adding that she refused. Ex-national team coach Jorge Vilda — one of Rubiales’ co-defendants — then allegedly approached Hermoso’s brother, warning him that her football career could suffer if she did not comply.

“I felt totally unprotected in what should have been a safe place for me,” Hermoso said. “No one asked me if I needed anything. The only thing Rubiales and his aides did was try to protect their reputation.”. The scandal overshadowed Spain’s first-ever Women’s World Cup triumph and became a tipping point for sexism in Spanish sport. The hashtag #SeAcabó (It’s Over) flooded social media, with Hermoso and 80 other players going on strike until federation leadership changed.

FIFA suspended Rubiales, who eventually resigned in September 2023. The incident also sparked national soul-searching over sexual misconduct in Spain. The country had only recently toughened its sexual assault laws following the notorious ‘La Manada’ (Wolf Pack) gang rape case in 2016. Rubiales continues to deny wrongdoing, insisting the kiss was a “peck between friends” and his downfall was driven by “fake feminism”.

His daughters, two of whom were on the team’s flight home, will testify in his defense next Monday. Former coach Jorge Vilda, ex-federation sporting director Albert Luque, and marketing director Rubén Rivera also face coercion charges and potential 18-month sentences. The trial is set to run until February 19, with high-profile witnesses, including Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, expected to testify.