Spain’s High Court has found former soccer federation president Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the 2023 Women’s World Cup awards ceremony. The court fined him over €10,000 ($10,434) but acquitted him of coercion charges.
Rubiales, 47, had faced calls for a prison sentence in a case that sparked intense debate on sexism in women’s football and Spanish society.
His three co-defendants, accused of pressuring Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual, were also acquitted.
Despite maintaining that Hermoso agreed to the kiss, Rubiales now faces an 18-month fine and a one-year restraining order preventing him from approaching within 200 meters of Hermoso or communicating with her.
The controversy overshadowed Spain’s World Cup victory, drawing global attention to issues of consent and gender equality in sports.
