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A Spanish court judge has stated that Luis Rubiales, the former President of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), should stand trial for kissing the captain Jenni Hermoso after their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 triumph. The proposal came after a preliminary investigation wherein he concluded that the official's kiss “was not consensual and was a unilateral and unexpected move”.
Jenni Hermoso’s former coach Jorge Vilda, a former marketing manager Ruben Rivera, and the Sports Director of Spain men’s team Albert Luque were also investigated for pressuring her into saying to the public that the kiss was consensual. It led to Judge Francisco de Jorge proposing that these three individuals should also stand trial.
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As per the Spanish court, the judge warranted trial after finding enough evidence in the matter, but he had questions about “whether the aim was erotic or not, or the state of euphoria and excitement due to the extraordinary sporting triumph are elements whose legal consequences will have to be examined,” as per the report from the Guardian.
Furthermore, the public prosecutors and Jenni Hermoso now have 10 days to formally call for a trial after formalising their accusations. It has been revealed that if Luis Rubiales is found guilty of sexual assault, then he would face a prison time of one to four years.
Notably, Luis Rubiales was forced to resign from his post as the President of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) after his kiss scandal involving Jenni Hermoso. He was also banned by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) for three years from all football-related activities.
