MADRID – Former Spanish football boss Luis Luviarez was found guilty of sexual assaulter Jenni Hermoso after the 2023 Women's World Cup finals, after the 2023 Women's World Cup finals, sexual assaulter Jenni Hermoso.
He was fined more than 10,000 euros ($10,400) at Audiencia Cional Court and was ordered to not communicate with her for a year within 200 meters of Hermoso or for a year.
Luviales escaped the responsibility of coercion for trying to downplay Hermoso's lip kiss during the post-final awards ceremony in Sydney. The kiss sparked rage in Spain and hurt the celebration of Spain's first women's World Cup title.
Rubiales said Hermoso agreed to the kiss, but she denied it.
Three other former Spanish Federation members accused of forced use – former women's team coach Jorge Wilda, sports director for men's team Albert Luk and Marketing Reuben Rivera, have also been cleared.
Hermoso said in her testimony that she felt “disregarded” by Ruviales after winning the World Cup. She said she was pressured to record a video with Luviales, who was then the federal president, to disregard the kiss.
Rubiales and the other accused said he had never tried to put pressure on Hermoso to do anything. They insisted that she didn't make the kiss important when it happened.
Rubiales resigned under pressure three weeks after the scandal surfaced and was banned by FIFA for three years. He said he was a victim of a “witch hunt” by “fake feminists.”
In his testimony, he said he regretted the kiss. However, he said it should not be considered sexual assault.
The kiss ignited widespread rage in society beyond football, sparking one of the most embarrassing scandals in Spanish football history.
