The Japan Times - Spain ex-football chief's kiss wrong 'in any social or work setting': Hermoso

Rubiales provoked worldwide outrage after he cupped Hermoso's head and gave her an unsolicited kiss after Spain beat England to win the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia.

Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for Rubiales, one year for sexual assault for the forced kiss and 18 months for allegedly coercing Hermoso, 34, to downplay the incident.

Rubiales, 47, has called the kiss an innocuous "peck between friends celebrating" and denied any coercion.

"This shouldn't happen in any social or work setting... A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so," Hermoso said on the opening day of the trial at the National Court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid.

"As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life," added Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the national women's team.

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

Rubiales is scheduled to take the stand on February 12 in the highly anticipated trial scheduled to run until February 19.

Among the accused alongside Rubiales 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.

- Life 'on stand by' -

Hermoso told the court that federation officials repeatedly put pressure on her, family and friends after the kiss.

She said she suffered insufferable media pressure after returning to Spain and received death threats, with "people waiting for me outside, people following me, people taking photos of me while I had breakfast with my mother".

Hermoso, who now plays in Mexico, said she had to leave Madrid with her family due to the fear she felt.

"Until today it feels like my life has been on stand by" due to the case, she added.

The scandal that rocked Spanish football and wrecked Rubiales' career broke on August 20, 2023, moments after the women's national team had clinched World Cup glory in Sydney.

As Hermoso joined her teammates in collecting their winner's medals, Rubiales clasped her head and kissed her on the lips before letting her go with two slaps on the back.

The act unleashed a public outcry at what critics deemed an abuse of power and made Hermoso an icon of the fight against macho culture and sexism in sport.

A recent reform of the Spanish criminal code classifies a non-consensual kiss as sexual assault.

- Historic success overshadowed -

"Thank you again, Jenni, for your bravery. Thanks to you and your teammates we add another victory for feminism," Equality Minister Ana Redondo wrote on X shortly before the trial started.

Rubiales, who was already under investigation for alleged corruption in his role as federation head, finally gave into pressure and stepped down in September 2023, two days after the start of a probe over the kiss. He had been federation chief since 2018.

In a recent Netflix documentary titled "Se acabo" ("It's over"), which looks back at the players' anger after the scandal overshadowed their historic success, Hermoso revealed she cried following the kiss.

She told the court on Monday that "no one came to ask me how I was" after the incident and felt "completely abandoned by the federation".

Y.Ishikawa--JT