Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales.
The prosecutors are seeking a one-year sentence for a charge of alleged sexual assault, with a further one and a half years for alleged coercion.
The second charge also applies to former Spain Women head coach Jorge Vilda, former RFEF marketing manager Ruben Rivera and former RFEF men’s national team director Albert Luque — the ex-Newcastle United striker.
Following the request for imprisonment by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, RFEF have suspended Rivera and Luque as a precautionary measure until the judicial matter is clarified.
Spanish prosecutors filed the lawsuit against Rubiales for alleged sexual assault and coercion of Spain Women player Jenni Hermoso in September, with the judge investigating recommending the case go to trial in January.
Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips after Spain’s World Cup final win over England on August 20 in Sydney, Australia, as she received her winner’s medal.
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Rubiales kisses Hermoso following the 2023 World Cup final (Noemi Llamas/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Rubiales — who at first refused to resign as RFEF president over the incident, before eventually stepping down after being provisionally sanctioned by FIFA — has always claimed Hermoso did give consent for him to kiss her. Hermoso has testified that the kiss was not consensual, and that attempts were made to force her into saying the opposite.
In January’s statement by Spain’s Audencia Nacional (National Court) which confirmed the case was to go to trial, judge Francisco de Jorge said there was evidence the kiss was “not consensual”.
Regarding the charge of alleged coercion, the statement added that judge De Jorge “considers that there are indications of the existence of a concerted action” conducted by Luque, Rivera and Vilda — and “agreed with Rubiales” — to “break the will of Jennifer Hermoso” by “getting her to agree to record a video in which said that the kiss had been consensual”. Spanish media have previously reported that Vilda, Rivera and Luque have denied the charge of coercion in court testimonies.
Rubiales was provisionally suspended for 90 days by FIFA in August, shortly after the World Cup final, before it was confirmed in October that the 46-year-old was found to have breached article 13 of the FIFA disciplinary code and handed a three-year ban from football. This suspension was confirmed in January after FIFA rejected Rubiales’ appeal, although he could yet appeal again via the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Rubiales’ home — and the RFEF headquarters — meanwhile, were searched as part of an investigation into alleged corruption during his five years in charge. Rubiales, who was in the Dominican Republic at the time of raid, told newspaper El Espanol that he had “done nothing wrong”, had “nothing to hide” and was “surprised” at what had happened. He also said, “I’ll answer everything when (the investigators) ask me.”
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(Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
