Luis Rubiales, former president of the Spanish Football Federation, is currently at the center of a controversy following a forced kiss given to player Jennifer Hermoso after the victory of the women’s national team at the World Cup. This case led to Rubiales being summoned to court, which is investigating the sexual assault accusations against him.
The Madrid court announced that Luis Rubiales should appear as an accused before an investigating judge on Friday, September 12. This decision follows the request of the prosecution, which had opened a preliminary investigation following the complaint filed by Jennifer Hermoso. The prosecution requested that Rubiales be heard as the accused and Hermoso as the victim.
The affair took an important media turn and led to the resignation of Luis Rubiales. Despite her defense claiming that the kiss was “consensual”, Jennifer Hermoso categorically denies this version of the facts. Rubiales ultimately decided to leave his position in order to focus on his defense.
It is important to emphasize that since a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault. Depending on the penalties incurred, Rubiales could face a fine or even a prison sentence of up to four years.
In addition, the prosecution also charged Rubiales with the crime of coercion, arguing that Jennifer Hermoso and her entourage would have been victims of constant pressure from the president of the Spanish Football Federation in order to justify and approve the facts.
This case raises questions about ethics and respect in sports, particularly in women’s football. It highlights the need to combat inappropriate behavior and offer better protection to female athletes.
It is now important to await the conclusions of the judicial investigation and respect the presumption of innocence until all the evidence is examined. The repercussions of this case could be significant for Luis Rubiales and for Spanish football as a whole.