Jenni Hermoso tells court Luis Rubiales's kiss 'tainted' World Cup triumph

Spanish football star Jenni Hermoso stated in court that one of the happiest moments of her life was "tainted" after she was forcibly kissed by then-Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales at the Women's World Cup in Sydney.

Rubiales, 47, is accused of sexual assault and coercion for allegedly trying to force the Spanish female footballer to state that the kiss, which took place shortly after the team's victory at the Sydney tournament in August 2023, was consensual. Hermoso began her testimony on Monday at Spain’s National Court in Madrid, telling the jury that she “never” consented and the act made her feel disrespected.

“I didn’t hear or understand anything. The next thing he did was grab my ears and kiss me on the mouth,” she said. “I knew I was being kissed by my boss, something that should not happen in any social or work environment,” she added. “I think it was a moment that tarnished one of the happiest days of my life.”

Hermoso is the first to testify in the high-profile trial, which is expected to last three weeks and call 27 witnesses, including teammates and coaches. She testified for two hours and was questioned about a video Rubiales requested she make about the kiss when the team returned to Spain. “I told him (Rubiales) that I had not caused anything, that I did not want that moment to happen, that I was not the one to make any video, that if he wanted to, he should do it himself.”

She continued: “He begged me to do it. He begged me to do it for his two daughters who were crying in the back of the plane and were in a very bad way, and I kept telling him that I was sorry. I said I was sorry, but that I was not going to do it.” Rubiales, former team coach Jorge Vilda, the federation's marketing director Ruben Rivera, and sporting director Albert Luque also face charges of conspiring to coerce her into stating that the kiss was consensual, which they deny. They were all fired by the Spanish football federation when the forward made her allegations.

The four men were largely expressionless in court, sometimes crossing their arms, while Hermoso did not look at them. Rubiales took notes during Hermoso’s testimony, occasionally exchanging glances with the other defendants. All four men's lawyers cross-examined Hermoso. “I have already said that when he grabbed my ears with such enthusiasm, I could no longer hear or see anything. I was looking him straight in the eye. And then came the kiss,” she told the court.

Rubiales’ lawyer, Olga Tubau, questioned Hermoso’s behavior after the kiss, asking why she said goodbye to him if she did not like his actions. “Well, I was in a protocolary act, as I have said, I greeted everyone, I greeted the Queen, I greeted her daughters, I greeted Luis Rubiales, I followed the protocol as a national team player. I continued my path, but that does not mean that when I noticed or felt what had happened, I did not feel disgust or rejection,” she said.

She also revealed that she had received death threats after the scandal, prompting her to leave the country and play in Mexico. “I had to leave Madrid with my family because I noticed, and I say it from my heart, that for a time I was afraid to walk down the street and was always looking around to see if someone was following me. I received threats, death threats.” When the judge asked if the threats came from the defendants, she replied “no.” “I received death threats and all kinds of messages. We had to leave Madrid because the situation had become unbearable, with cars and cameras 24 hours a day at my door,” she said.

Federation press officer Patricia Perez also testified. Perez backed up Hermoso’s account of what happened in the hours after the kiss, particularly the allegations that the federation fabricated a statement from Hermoso and sent it to the media without her permission. She told the court that she felt pressure from Rubiales and the federation to get Hermoso to sign a statement downplaying the kiss. The court heard that the federation prepared “answers” for Perez to give to the Integrity Committee, which was about to investigate the matter.

She said the prepared material included a false claim that Perez had spoken to Hermoso, who had downplayed the incident. Rubiales initially apologized for being overzealous in the celebrations. “There was a moment of maximum effusiveness, with no bad intention,” he said after the 2023 incident. However, he has denied the criminal charges and said the kiss was consensual. Rubiales' actions sparked global outrage and street demonstrations, with Spaniards protesting that his behavior was a manifestation of misogyny, which many claim is deeply rooted in Spanish society.

It has proven to be a turning point for Spanish women’s football, exposing long-standing tensions between players and their coaches. Court documents filed by Spanish prosecutors, which form the basis of the case, outline a timeline of the allegations, which initially began behind the scenes in Sydney, before erupting into the global spotlight in the following days, as the kiss became the subject of worldwide attention. The criminal charges accuse the four men of harassing Hermoso from the moment she left the pitch after the incident until the former president was provisionally suspended by FIFA a few days later on August 26, 2023. They are also alleged to have put pressure on her family and friends.

If found guilty, Spanish prosecutors are recommending an 18-month prison sentence for all four defendants for coercion and an additional year for Rubiales for sexual assault. Spain’s victory over England at Stadium Australia in Sydney was one of the biggest sporting events in history, but their win has been overshadowed by the kiss, which has dominated public commentary ever since. The trial is the highest-profile test case of Spain’s new, tougher sexual assault laws, which stipulate prison sentences for any act deemed non-consensual.

The legal reform was driven by nationwide protests sparked by a gang rape case at a festival in 2016.