Jenni Hermoso reports constant harassment after forced kiss – 01/02/2024 – Sport

Champion of the 2023 Women’s World Cup for Spain, player Jenni Hermoso reiterated before a judge this Tuesday (2) that the kiss she received from the then president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, was not consensual. She also stated that she was under pressure to come to the defense of her former leader.

The player, recently signed by the Mexican club Tigres Femenil, gave her testimony at the Audiencia Nacional, in Madrid. She denounced Rubiales in September 2023 for the forced kiss during the medal presentation, shortly after the Spanish team’s victory in the World Cup held in August in Australia and New Zealand.

“Everything is now in the hands of Justice and that’s all I can say,” the player told the press as she left the court.

Before the judge investigating the case, Hermoso stated that the kiss was “unexpected” and “at no point consensual”, according to judicial sources.

The player also stated that she suffered “constant harassment” from Rubiales and those around her in the days that followed, which “altered her normal life, causing a situation of restlessness and sadness”, according to the same sources.

Judge Francisco de Jorge opened an investigation against Rubiales in September for the alleged crimes of “sexual assault” and “coercion”, also for the alleged pressure on Hermoso and his team.

Shortly afterwards, the magistrate summoned the former manager to give a statement as an investigator and imposed on him, as a precautionary measure, a ban on approaching within 200 meters of the player.

Three other people, including the former coach of the women’s team, Jorge Vilda, are also being investigated for alleged pressure.

After a recent reform of the Spanish Penal Code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a criminal category that groups all types of sexual violence. According to sources from the Public Ministry, Rubiales could be sentenced to sentences ranging from a fine to four years in prison.

The conduct of the then president of the Spanish federation on the lawn of the Sydney stadium caused a wave of international outrage.

At first, Rubiales refused to leave his position over what he claimed was “a consensual kiss.” In a controversial speech five days later, he criticized “false feminism”, ensuring that he had the player’s permission to kiss her.

This version was refuted by Jenni Hermoso, who said she felt “vulnerable and the victim of an attack” when receiving the kiss. For her, it was “an impulsive, sexist act, out of place and without any type of consent.”

Under pressure, Rubiales ended up resigning on September 10, claiming to have been “the victim of a disproportionate campaign”. He was later suspended for three years from all football-related activities by FIFA, a decision which he announced he will appeal.

Hermoso, 33 years old, became a symbol of the fight for equality between men and women in the country and was elected woman of the year 2023 by the Spanish edition of the American magazine GQ.