Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexually assaulting Spain player Jenni Hermoso after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, an incident which incited global outrage.
The former disgraced Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president kissed Hermoso on the lips without her consent after Spain’s victory over England in Sydney and must pay a fine worth more than £8,000, alongside over £2,000 in compensation.
The 47-year-old was acquitted of coercing Hermoso to downplay the kiss and claim it was consensual.
He will avoid prison despite prosecutors pursuing a two-and-a-half year custodial sentence.
Rubiales must also not go within 200 metres of Hermoso for a year, and avoid contacting her for the same period.
Rubiales has said he will appeal the conviction.
In a highly anticipated trial broadcast live on Spanish television, Hermoso, who now plays for Mexican side Tigres, said: “My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting.
“A kiss on the lips has a connotation that goes beyond a kiss of courtesy and friendship. As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life.
“For me it is very important to say that at no point did I seek that act, let alone expect it.”
The kiss prompted Spain’s own #MeToo moment when women players posted #SeAcabo – it’s over – on social media and put machismo in sport on trial.
A recent reform of the Spanish penal code classified a non-consensual kiss as sexual assault.
However, Rubiales had maintained the kiss was consensual, telling the Madrid court: “I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission.
“In that moment it was something completely spontaneous.”
He is current serving a three-year ban from football for the kiss, handed down by Fifa, having resigned from his Rfef role in September 2023 after initially refusing to quit.
In December of that year, FA chair Debbie Hewitt also claimed Rubiales had kissed England defender Lucy Bronze while the Lionesses received their medals. Rubiales has denied the allegations.
Three other men were also cleared of coercion after allegedly pressuring Hermoso to lie about the kiss – former Spain women’s boss Jorge Vilda, the ex-Spanish national sporting director Albert Luque and former marketing chief Ruben Rivera.
The Spanish Footballers Association, which took its own criminal prosecution against Rubiales as is permitted in Spain, said: “[We] celebrate a historic ruling that marks a precedent in the justice system in our country.
“[The ruling] represents a significant step in the defence of women’s rights and in the fight for a sport free of abuse and inequalities.”
Former Spanish Equality Minister Irene Montero posted on X: “Not long ago it was unthinkable that justice would recognise a non-consesual kiss as sexual assault. Feminism is changing everything: only yes is yes.
“But there is still a long way to go: the fine and compensation are minimal, there is no disqualification and their position of power is not recognised. “
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