The former president of the RFEF admits he made a mistake, but denies having coerced the player

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Luis Rubiales insists that the kiss with Jenni Hermoso ‘was consensual and not intended to satisfy a sexual desire’

On 11 February, Luis Rubiales, former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), appeared before the National Court to testify in the trial he faces for alleged sexual assault and coercion related to the kiss he gave to footballer Jenni Hermoso after the final of the 2023 Women's World Cup. During his intervention, Rubiales said he was ‘absolutely certain’ that Hermoso consented to the kiss and acknowledged that her behaviour was not appropriate for someone in her position. 

Rubiales explained that, prior to the kiss, he had a brief conversation with Hermoso in which he asked her if he could give her ‘a little kiss’, to which she replied in the affirmative. ‘I asked Jenni if I could give her a little kiss and she said OK,’ he said. He also admitted that, after a few seconds, he realised his mistake and that he should have adopted a more institutional attitude. ‘I was wrong and I made a mistake (...) it's a truism that I recognised from the first moment. I behaved like a sportsman who had won, one of the group, and I should have been in a more institutional role,’ he said. 

The former leader also denied that he had pressured Hermoso to issue a statement minimising the incident. ‘I have never coerced anyone, either directly or indirectly,’ he said. He also stressed that the kiss was a spontaneous gesture born out of euphoria after the victory and had no sexual connotation. ‘The kiss was never meant to satisfy a sexual desire,’ he said. 

For her part, Jenni Hermoso has maintained that the kiss was not consensual and the prosecution is seeking a sentence of two and a half years in prison for sexual assault and coercion.