Spain women's Hermoso will appeal Rubiales 'forced kiss' verdict

"It is her intention" to appeal, lawyer Angel Chavarria said. In a case which rocked Spain, prosecutors had sought a prison term of two-and-a-half years for Rubiales - one year for sexual assault and 18 months for coercion for having allegedly put pressure on the player to downplay the incident afterwards. A judge at Spain's High Court on Thursday found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault over the kiss and fined him 10,800 euros ($11,300), but spared him a prison sentence.
The ruling also banned him from going within a radius of 200 metres of Hermoso and from communicating with her for a period of one year. Rubiales was acquitted of coercion, for allegedly trying to pressure Hermoso into making a public statement that the kiss was consensual. The 47-year-old said after the verdict that he will appeal. The judge wrote in his ruling that kissing a woman on the mouth "is not the normal way of greeting people with whom one has no sentimental relationship," saying Rubiales had violated Hermoso's "sexual freedom" without her consent.
Video footage of the scandal that rocked Spanish football shows then-Spanish federation chief Rubiales clasping Hermoso's head at the 2023 Women's World Cup medal ceremony in Sydney and kissing her on the lips before letting her go with two slaps on the back. But Rubiales told the court he was "totally sure" Hermoso consented to the kiss as she went up to receive her winner's medal, which was broadcast live around the world, and denied putting pressure on her after the incident. The global outcry over the kiss forced Rubiales to resign in disgrace and thrust the spotlight on the prevalence of macho culture and sexism in sports.
Spanish Justice Minister Felix Bolanos hailed Hermoso's "courage" after the verdict. "We must all be grateful to Jenni, because she took an initiative, in a very difficult moment, to defend the rights and freedom of women and to emphasise that this society, our Spanish society, no longer allows any type of abuse, no longer admits any type of sexual assault," he said. "One thing is clear, a non-consensual kiss is sexual assault, period," he added.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday dismissed Rubiales' appeal against his suspension from football because of the kiss, arguing his behaviour "constituted multiple and serious violations of the FIFA Disciplinary Code". The highest court in global sport added "it saw no reason to consider the sanction to be disproportionate". World football governing body FIFA had banned Rubiales in October 2023 for three years from all football-related activity for three years in the wake of the kiss on Hermoso. Rubiales will therefore remain banned from football until October 2026.