Disgraced former Spanish football federation President Luis Rubiales will appeal to the Supreme Court after Spain’s top criminal court upheld his 10,800 euro ($12,634) fine for forcibly kissing player Jennifer Hermoso, his lawyer said Wednesday.
The ruling followed a high-profile trial that captivated the nation. In February, the Audiencia Nacional found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for the unsolicited kiss during the 2023 Women’s World Cup – an incident that sparked global outrage.
The court, however, acquitted him of a separate coercion charge related to allegations that he pressured Hermoso to publicly downplay the episode.
Both parties had contested the sentence, which fell short of the 2.5-year prison term sought by prosecutors and angered feminist groups that condemned the punishment as too lenient.
Rubiales maintained the kiss was a consensual “peck” between friends celebrating during the medal ceremony after Hermoso had helped Spain defeat England in the final in Sydney. He denied any coercion.
In a statement Wednesday, the court said it had rejected the appeals of both the defense and the prosecutors, upholding Rubiales’ conviction and the fine.
“The kiss was not consensual,” the court wrote, adding that Hermoso “expressed her displeasure with what happened, as she herself confirmed in the trial, as well as her teammates.”
“It cannot be said that a kiss in those circumstances was frequent, common or usual,” it said.
The court also confirmed that Rubiales, former women’s national team manager Jorge Vilda, and two former senior federation officials – Albert Luque and Ruben Rivera – were cleared of the coercion charge.
Rubiales’ lawyer, Olga Tubau, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) he would appeal the verdict at the Supreme Court.
Federation in turmoil
A separate request by prosecutors to rerun the trial – citing concerns over the judge’s impartiality – was dismissed.
The court also maintained a ban prohibiting Rubiales from coming within 200 meters (656 feet) of Hermoso or communicating with her for one year.
The kiss sparked a global uproar that forced Rubiales to resign, led to a three-year ban from all football-related activity, and plunged the federation into a prolonged crisis.
The case turned Hermoso, the all-time leading scorer for Spain’s women’s national team, into a symbol in the fight against sexism and macho culture in sport.
Rubiales is also under investigation for alleged financial irregularities involving millions of euros linked to the relocation of the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, in a deal involving a company owned by former Barcelona star Gerard Pique.
Rubiales has dismissed the allegations as “falsehoods.”
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