Three other people who had also been tried for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual – the former head coach of the women’s national team Jorge Vilda; the former Spanish football federation sporting director Albert Luque; and the federation’s former marketing chief Rubén Rivera – were cleared of coercion.
Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting the footballer Jenni Hermoso by kissing her on the lips after Spain’s women’s team won the World Cup.
Giving evidence on the first day of the trial at the national court in San Fernando de Henares, near Madrid, Hermoso said she had never consented to being kissed by Rubiales, adding that he had not sought her permission to do so.
The court heard testimony from Hermoso’s brother Rafael, who said Vilda had asked him on the flight back from Australia to “convince” his sister to record a video with Rubiales to show she was not bothered by the kiss.
Days later, amid mounting outrage over the kiss – as well as over Rubiales grabbing his crotch while standing next to Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter, Infanta Sofía, as the team won the World Cup – the federation demanded that he resign.
