The national Audiencia courted sentenced Rubiales to a fine of over €10,000 for the non-consensual kiss with player Jennifer Hermoso at the Women’s World Cup final celebrations in Sydney last August.
ADVERTISEMENTThe former Spanish football boss, Luis Rubiales, was found guilty of sexual assault on Thursday for kissing the national team player Jennifer Hermoso during the Women’s World Cup medal ceremony in Sydney last August.
Rubiales said Hermoso consented to the kiss but she denied it, leading to an investigation and a trial.
The National Court sentenced Rubiales to a fine of 18 months at a daily rate of €20, totalling €10,950.
The magistrate José Manuel Fernández-Prieto has also ordered protective measures against Rubiales. For one year, Rubiales is prohibited from coming within 200 metres of Hermoso or entering into any form of communication with her.
The court decision was more lenient than the initial request from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which had asked for a total sentence of two and a half years in prison for the former Spanish Football Federation president.
Of this request, one year corresponded to the crime of sexual assault and the rest to a separate charge of alleged coercion, of which Rubiales was acquitted.
The court also acquitted the other three people implicated in the case of coercion: Jorge Vilda, former coach of the women’s national team, Albert Luque, former director of football for the men’s team, and Rubén Rivera, the football federation’s former head of marketing.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office had asked for the three to be sentenced to one and a half years for this charge.
The sentence is not final, as it can be appealed before the Criminal Division of the national Audiencia court.
This court ruling puts an end to one of the most controversial episodes in the history of Spanish football, which dampened the mood during the celebration of the first women’s World Cup won by Spain and led to an unprecedented institutional crisis in the country’s football federation, culminating in the resignation of Rubiales from his position as president.
