Ex-RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) President Luis Rubiales will have his day in court shortly, after the Court Magistrate agreed to begin his trial for sexual assault and coertion within period of 10 days.
Rubiales is facing the charges, which could land him a maximum sentence in excess of six years in prison, after the non-consensual kiss of Jenni Hermoso as Spain celebrated the 2023 World Cup. After that, he was part of an effort to coerce Hermoso into a public excuse of Rubiales’ behaviour.
Over the past five months, the state prosecution has been gathering evidence and witness testimonies, after the charges were originally brought. The magistrate has decided, as Diario AS report, that the kiss was not consensual, and that a situation of ‘anxiousness and intense stress’ was created by the pressure put on her.
That said, the magistrate said there was no need to reduce the scope of the trial to sexual assault and coercion, and neither did they specify the potential sentences that could or should be judged ahead of the case.
Current Spain Sporting Director Albert Luque, former Spain and current Morocco manager Jorge Vilda, and former Director of Marketing Ruben Rivera will all stand trial for their part in coercing Hermoso and her teammates into exculpating Rubiales publicly.
Hermoso maintains publicly that the kiss was not consented, while Rubiales says that she did tell him he could kiss her.
