Luis Rubiales was forced to leave soccer after a judge at Spain’s highest criminal court concluded after a preliminary investigation that the former soccer director’s gesture was “not consensual, unilateral and unexpected.” He said he should be tried for kissing player Jenni Hermoso. “Move”.
The high court ruled Thursday that investigative judge Francisco de Jorge also accused Hermoso of pressuring Hermoso to publicly say the kiss was consensual, as well as others, including former women’s team coach Jorge Vilda. He announced that he has proposed that the three be brought to trial.
The court said the judge had found sufficient evidence to justify a trial, but the judge had not questioned whether “the purpose was erotic, or the euphoria and excitement of an extraordinary sporting victory.” “Condition is a factor that must have legal consequences.” Please get tested. ”
According to the court, prosecutors and lawyers have 10 days to formally file a lawsuit.
The decision came five months after Rubiales grabbed Hermoso’s head and kissed him on the lips during a televised celebration of Spain’s World Cup victory.
Amid worldwide outrage, Rubiales fended off calls to resign, describing his actions as a “consensual disrespect.”
Hermoso, 33, who ranks as Spain’s all-time top scorer, denied any suggestion that the kiss was consensual and characterized Rubiales’ account as “completely false”.
She filed criminal charges against Mr. Rubiales, 46, in September, and a few days later state prosecutors charged him with sexual assault and coercion.
until then, This incident sparked a reckoning with gender discrimination in Spanish soccer. The cry was, “height Akabo” or “It’s over” quickly spread to other areas, paving the way for a broader discussion about sexism in Spanish society.
The court heard Thursday that the judge said Hermoso “was not aware of the defendant’s intention to kiss him on the lips and did not consent to him doing so.”
He also believes there was a joint effort by Wilda, men’s team coach Albert Luque and the soccer federation’s former marketing director Rubén Rivera to deny Hermoso the kiss against her will. He also said he believed he tried to “exhaust” Hermoso in order to get him to speak out. It was consensual. The court said in a statement that these attempts created “a situation of anxiety and extreme stress” for Hermoso.
Wilda, Luque and Rivera deny pressuring Hermoso.
Rubiales could face a fine or up to four years in prison if convicted of sexual assault, a charge he has repeatedly denied. When he announced last year that he was stepping down as president of the federation, he said: “I believe in the truth and I will do everything in my power to ensure that the truth prevails.”