Spanish international soccer player Jennifer Hermoso testified Tuesday that it was not consensual when Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales kissed her Tuesday after the team's World Cup victory. Photo by Mariscal/EPA-EFE Luis Rubiales resigned as Spain's top soccer official in September over the incident but continued to claim the kiss was consensual. File photo by Juan Carlos Hidalgo/EPA-EFE
Jan. 2 (UPI) — Jenni Hermoso, a member of the Spanish national soccer team, testified Tuesday in Madrid that Spanish Soccer Federation President Luis Rubiales kissed her on the lips without her consent during a World Cup medal ceremony.
Hermoso told the court that the kiss, which occurred after the Spanish women's team won the World Cup in Australia last year, was “unexpected and at no time consensual.”
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“Everything is in the hands of justice, that’s all I can say,” she told reporters after the statement.
Hermoso, one of Spain's top soccer stars, filed a criminal complaint against Rubiales over the kiss after the incident and then tried to pressure her to speak out on his behalf.
Madrid judge Francisco de Jorge is trying to decide whether charges of sexual assault and coercion should be brought against Rubiales over the incident, since a kiss without consent can be considered sexual assault under Spanish law.
Rubiales, who resigned as Spain's top soccer official in September over the incident, continued to claim the kiss was consensual and that he had asked her for permission. She vehemently denied that claim in her statement, saying she felt victimized at what should have been a joyful time for her and her teammates.
“No one, whether in the workplace, in sports or in social settings, should be the victim of this type of non-consensual behavior,” she told the court. “I felt vulnerable and the victim of an aggression, an impulsive, sexist act, out of place and without any consent on my part. Simply put, I was disrespected.”
FIFA, world soccer's governing body, suspended Rubiales in the fall when he initially refused to resign. Dozens of women on the Spanish national team said they would refuse to play until he did.
A judge issued an injunction barring Rubiales from coming within 600 feet of Hermoso, and in October FIFA imposed a three-year ban on him from all soccer-related activities.