Hermoso appeared in court in Madrid and offered his own kiss to Luis Rubiales, the man who sparked a crisis in Spanish football.
Spain’s World Cup-winning star Jenni Hermoso told a judge that the kiss she was forced to kiss by disgraced former Spanish football manager Luis Rubiales was “not consensual in any way”. He said he was under pressure to defend his actions.
Hermoso visited a court in Madrid on Tuesday to share his own kiss after Spain’s victory over England in the final in Sydney in August.
The 33-year-old appeared to testify before Judge Francisco de Jorge, who is investigating Rubiales on charges of sexual assault and extortion.
“Right now everything is in the hands of the justice system and that’s all I can say,” she told reporters as she left the courtroom hours later.
“The judicial process will continue. Thank you for all the support you have given me.”
In the August 20 incident, after Spain won the Australia World Cup, the then president of Spain’s RFEF Football Federation put his hands on her head and forcibly kissed her on the lips.
He said the act was “consensual contempt,” but Hermoso insisted that was not the case.
The incident sparked outrage across the football world and sparked one of the worst crises in Spanish sporting history. It also led to a boycott of the national team by World Cup winners and ultimately led to Rubiales’ resignation, despite denying any wrongdoing and insisting the kiss was consensual.
Hermoso is expected to repeat her claim in court that the kiss was unwanted, and Rubiales and her staff have urged her and her family to downplay the incident, which tarnished Spain’s first Women’s World Cup victory. tried to put pressure on.
Testimony was held behind closed doors. According to Spanish media, Hermoso asked the judge to keep the court appearance as private as possible.
She arrived wearing a gray coat, waved to journalists and entered the courtroom through one of the front doors with her lawyers.
The judge will also hear testimony from other World Cup winners, coaches and federation officials before deciding whether to start a trial.
Rubiales previously denied wrongdoing to a judge who issued a restraining order preventing him from contacting Hermoso.
Hermoso, 33, who is Spain’s women’s team’s record scorer, said she received threats in the aftermath of the kiss last year, although she did not give details.
Madrid prosecutors said Rubiales could face a fine or one to four years in prison if convicted under a sexual consent law passed last year. The new law abolished the distinction between “sexual harassment” and “sexual assault” and sanctioned non-consensual sexual acts.
Under Spanish law, kissing without consent can be considered sexual assault, a criminal category that lumps together all types of sexual violence.
In October, a judge also questioned three other people for allegedly pressuring Hermoso: former women’s coach Jorge Virda, men’s team director Alberto Luque and RFEF marketing director Ruben Rivera. .
A number of other witnesses testified in court about the pressure Hermoso faced, including two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Puteras and two other Spanish team-mates.
FIFA has suspended Rubiales for three years, until the end of the 2026 Men’s World Cup. His suspension will expire before the next women’s tournament in 2027.
He resigned as federation president and UEFA vice president on September 10 amid mounting pressure from lawmakers and players in Spain. The next day, UEFA expressed their gratitude to Rubiales for his work.