Tag: Hermoso

Jenni Hermoso was “overwhelmed” by former Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales’ forced kiss and was unable to enjoy winning the Women’s World Cup, her teammates told a court Thursday.

Rubiales sparked worldwide outrage for the kiss on Hermoso after she had just helped Spain beat England in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Australia.

The 47-year-old, who was forced to resign that year, has been on trial since Monday, accused of sexual assault for the kiss and then attempting to coerce Hermoso, 34, to downplay the incident with the help of other federation officials.

Hermoso “was not well” after the kiss, Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas told the National Court just outside Madrid by video.

She added her teammate “was really overwhelmed and she told us they would not leave her alone, that they wouldn’t stop”.

Arsenal centre-back Laia Codina told the trial that during a team celebration trip to the Spanish island of Ibiza, Hermoso “was sad, she was not enjoying herself, far from it” even though it “should have been the best moment in your life”.

Ana Belen Ecube, Hermoso’s friend who accompanied her to Ibiza, said the player “tried to enjoy the trip, being with her teammates, the surroundings, but was then conscious of what had happened and was sad, down, wasn’t herself”.

Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison against Rubiales.

Among the accused alongside him are ex-women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda and two former federation officials, Ruben Rivera and Albert Luque.

They also stand accused of trying to coerce Hermoso with prosecutors seeking 18 months’ jail against them.

The player’s older brother, Rafael Hermoso, told the trial on Wednesday that Vilda asked him on the flight back to Spain after the World Cup to “convince” his sister to record a video with Rubiales to show she was not bothered by the kiss.

Vilda warned his sister she faced “professional and personal consequences” if she did not cooperate, he added.

Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the national women’s team, was not called up immediately after the World Cup, with new coach Montse Tome saying she wanted to protect the player. She now plays in Mexico.

“To deprive her of doing her job was a bit unfair, to say the least,” Putellas told the court.

Spain star Jenni Hermoso on Monday told the trial of disgraced ex-football chief Luis Rubiales that the forced kiss he gave her in 2023 “shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting”.

Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison against Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion after his kiss on Hermoso following the 2023 Women’s World Cup final sparked global outrage.

Rubiales has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion.

“I felt it was totally out of place and I then realised my boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting,” Hermoso told the court on the opening day of the trial.

“A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so,” she added.

The scandal that rocked Spanish football and wrecked Rubiales’ career came moments after Hermoso and her teammates had clinched World Cup glory by beating England in the final in Sydney.

“As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life,” Hermoso said.

“For me it is very important to say that at no point did I seek that act, let alone expect it.”

The trial at the National Court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid is scheduled to run until February 19.