A Spanish judge on Thursday recommended the nation’s disgraced former soccer chief Luis Rubiales stand trial for kissing player Jenni Hermoso at the Women’s World Cup in Australia last year, the latest development in a scandal that sparked outrage among athletes and ignited fierce debate over sexism in the sport at its highest levels.
A judge recommended former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales stand trial for kissing player Jenni ... [+]
Judge Francisco de Jorge of Spain’s top criminal court, Audiencia Nacional, recommended Rubiales face trial on a sexual assault charge.
After a pretrial investigation, the judge concluded Rubiales’ kiss "was not consensual and was a unilateral and unexpected move.”
The judge also proposed trying three senior officials within Spanish soccer: the former coach of the women’s team Jorge Vilda, the director of the men’s team Albert Luque and the former marketing manager of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Ruben Rivera.
He said the trio allegedly pressured Hermoso to publicly state the kiss was consensual.
Hermoso refused to defend Rubiales’ behavior and has insisted the kiss was not consensual.
Rubiales, who ultimately resigned as head of the Spanish soccer association following the incident, has characterized the kiss as “a consensual peck.”
This is a developing story.