- Rubiales grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips after Spain World Cup win
- Three other officials will be tried, accused of coercing Hermoso after events
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Former Spanish soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales will stand trial for his unsolicited kiss of national team player Jenni Hermoso after a High Court judge admitted the case, the court said on Wednesday.
Rubiales faces one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss. The offences carry prison terms of one year and 18 months, respectively.
The High Court said it would also try the former coach of the women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, the team’s current sporting director, Albert Luque, and the federation’s head of marketing, Ruben Rivera. All three stand accused of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
Rubiales, 46, grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips last August 20 during the awards ceremony after Spain’s victory in the women’s World Cup in Sydney, making global headlines and causing a national debate in Spain about sexism.
Hermoso and her team-mates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning, but Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
Former Spain FA boss Luis Rubiales will face trial over the ‘kiss-gate’ scandal that engulfed Spanish football
A High Court judge has admitted the case and the 46-year-old could face prison time
Rubiales kissed Spain player Jenni Hermoso on the lips as she received her medal at the World Cup final
The court set a bail of 65,000 euros (£55,895) for Rubiales’ charge of sexual assault and another 65,000 euros to be posted jointly between Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera for the coercion charge.
The case falls under the High Court’s jurisdiction because the alleged offences took place abroad.
Rubiales was charged and investigated after the events, before resigning on the back of widespread criticism from the likes of the Spanish government and a number of Spain players past and present.
In March, public prosecutors involved in the case said they were seeking a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for Rubiales, who has continued to claim his innocence over the event.
Opening up in an interview with broadcaster La Sexta in April, he said: ‘I have a clear conscience. Things have become crazy. A small thing has gone on to devour a person,’ he said.
‘I wanted to be calm and get out of the spotlight. False feminism? What I said is said. I defend egalitarianism. Feminism advocates supporting women to achieve equality.’
He added: ‘For me there is no crime. It’s my opinion. I asked her the question [over the kiss] and she said: “Okay”.
‘You can’t question Hermoso. I can. Is it because I’m a man? They want to curtail freedom of thought.’
Rubiales has previously said that he ‘cannot understand that anyone could think this was a sexual assault’
In a subsequent clip he said of his infamous kiss: ‘I cannot understand that anyone could think this was a sexual assault’ before rejecting any coercion by saying: ‘I only spoke 10 or 15 seconds with Miss Hermoso.’
Spanish public prosecutors had also asked for Rubiales to be arrested over alleged financial irregularities while he was in charge of the Spanish FA.
At the start of last month, he was arrested amid an ongoing corruption probe unrelated to the incident in Sydney at the World Cup.
Instead, his arrest is linked to alleged financial irregularities during his time as head of the Spanish FA and focuses on business deals thought to include one to hold the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
