José María Timón, former cabinet director of Luis Rubiales, former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), explained this Tuesday that at no point did he witness the alleged pressure that was exerted on the player Jennifer Hermoso and her entourage after the leadership of The organization gave him a kiss after the World Cup final. Timón testified as a witness before Judge Francisco de Jorge, trainer of the National Court of Justice who investigates possible crimes of sexual assault and coercion.
Ministry sources indicate that, in their opinion, Timón “deliberately did not tell the truth” and contradicts the versions of other witnesses who testified in the case.
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In addition to the former chief of staff, two other RFEF employees appeared as witnesses this Tuesday: the compliance officer [buenas prácticas] from the association: Javier Puyol; and the women’s team’s psychologist, Javier López Vallejo. According to legal sources such as Timón, both denied knowing anything about the alleged pressure. Already on November 2nd, the current coach of the Spanish men’s soccer team, Luis de la Fuente, said the same thing.
The National Court opened an investigation into Rubiales’ case in early September after receiving a complaint from the public prosecutor’s office. After receiving a statement from Hermoso at the headquarters of the Attorney General’s Office, the State Ministry put two criminal offenses on the table: one of sexual assault for the “non-consensual” kiss of the player during the celebrations of the World Cup victory. female; and another of coercion, due to the alleged pressure exerted on the athlete and her entourage in the hours and days that followed to publicly support the version of the then president of the RFEF, who was cornered by the scandal.
As the prosecutor’s office explained in its statement of claim, the soccer player described being “subjected to constant and repeated pressure from Luis Rubiales and his professional environment to justify and approve the facts.” “Hermoso suffered a situation of harassment that interfered with the development of his life of peace, tranquility and freedom,” the complaint states. For these alleged maneuvers, Judge De Jorge indicted, in addition to Rubiales, Albert Luque, the director of the men’s soccer team; Jorge Vilda, former coach of the women’s team; and Rubén Rivera, marketing director of the association. The three have denied the allegations in their successive statements to the National Court.
Albert Luque and Rubén Rivera are sent on a trip to Ibiza, where the football players celebrated the title after their victory in Sydney, with the supposed aim of putting pressure on the athlete. For her part, Vilda was asked to ask about the contacts she had with Hermoso’s brother during the return trip from Australia, to which the player referred: “He started talking to my brother […] They let my brother know that if I helped him, I would be okay.”
The round of witness interviews will continue next Thursday, when statements are scheduled from soccer player Laia Codina, Hermoso’s teammate; and the President of the National Women’s Football Committee, Rafael del Amo.
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