Spanish state prosecutors have accused Luis Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent during the trophy presentation at the end of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sydney last month.
Rubiales, suspended as President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), kissed Hermoso during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England 1-0 to win the title on August 20 at Stadium Australia.
Prosecutors presented their case for potential criminal charges against the 46-year-old Rubiales to Spain’s National Court in Madrid two days after Hermoso formally accused him of sexual assault.
FIFA suspended Rubiales from his post on August 27, a day after he refused to step down when he delivered a defiant speech to the General Assembly of the RFEF in which he claimed he was victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”
He was banned from his post for 90 days while FIFA consider his case.
According to a sexual consent law passed in Spain last year, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty of sexual assault.
The new law eliminated the difference between “sexual harassment” and “sexual assault,” sanctioning any unconsented sexual act.
It has been alleged that Rubiales could have committed an act of coercion when, according to Hermoso, he pressured her to speak out in his defence immediately after the scandal erupted.
Rubiales has claimed the kiss was consensual, which Hermoso has denied.
Prosecutors have asked that Rubiales appear before a court to give preliminary testimony.
The National Court has appointed Judge Francisco de Jorge to consider the lawsuit, who could recommend that the case to either be dismissed or go to trial.
The decision by the state prosecutor coincided with the start of a strike over pay by players in Liga F, the top tier of women’s football in Spain.
The opening game of the season between Sevilla and Grenadilla Tenerife scheduled for last night was the first match affected when it was postponed.
The dispute, which pre-dates the scandal involving Rubiales, includes many of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad and is about disagreement in the minimum
salary for players and the wage gap which exists.
“We consider the final economic proposal of Liga F to be unacceptable and the five unions keep maintaining that a firm proposal in regard to minimum salary has to be applied so that the footballers of our country have wages at the level of their talent,” a statement from players union FUTPRO read. —Insidethegames.biz
