The Public Ministry of Spain requested, this Wednesday, 27, a sentence of two and a half years in prison for Luis Rubiales, former president of the Spanish Football Federation, for a non-consensual kiss given to player Jenni Hermoso during the final of the Women’s World Cup, in Australia, in August last year.
According to the MP’s text, seen by the AFP news agency, Rubiales is accused of the crime of sexual assault for the kiss, in addition to being accused of coercion, after having pressured the athlete to “justify and approve the kiss she received against her will”.
In October, the FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee banned Rubiales from participating in any football-related activities for three years.
The video showing Rubiales kissing Hermoso on the mouth quickly went viral on August 20th. The case gained momentum in the media and social networks and Rubiales was criticized by members of the Spanish government, such as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. After the episode, the Spanish national team announced strike against the leader, Hermoso filed a legal complaint and the Public Ministry announced that it would open a inquiry about the case to investigate the classification as sexual assault.
The former president had already admitted his mistake, but went so far as to classify his critics as idiots and said he would not give up his position.
