Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault after kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent, with the former Spain football federation chief getting a fine as a result.
47-year-old Rubiales, accused of sexual assault, was on trial for kissing Hermoso during the medal presentation after Spain’s FIFA Women’s World Cup triumph in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
Prosecutors had demanded a prison sentence for Rubiales, who last week told a court he was “absolutely sure” Hermoso had given her consent before he kissed her.
However, Rubiales has been acquitted of coercion for allegedly trying to pressure Hermoso into saying publicly that the kiss was consensual although he has been ordered to pay a fine of €10,800 (£8,942).
The court ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200-meter radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year.
Three of Rubiales’s former colleagues also on trial, accused of colluding in the alleged coercion – Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF)’s former head of marketing, and Albert Luque, former sporting director – were cleared of those charges.
Rubiales resigned from his role as Spain football federation (RFEF) president in September 2023, following weeks of resisting pressure to stand down and after FIFA suspended him and Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation.