Luis Rubiales faces 30 month jail sentence for Hermoso kiss
Luis Rubiales could face a prison sentence of two and a half years if convicted of kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips against her will, court documents have shown.
The former Spanish football federation chief has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion in the aftermath of the kiss, offences carrying jail terms of one year and 18 months respectively.
The 46-year-old grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips on 20 August during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, sparking global outrage and causing a national debate in Spain about sexism.
Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning, but Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecutor, Marta Durántez, also has accused the former women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda; the sporting director of the Spanish federation (RFEF), Albert Luque; and the RFEF’s marketing chief, Rubén Rivera, of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
The indictment said the three officials harassed Hermoso by exerting “constant and repeated acts of pressure” directly on the player and through her friends and family. They could each face 18 months in prison. All three denied wrongdoing when they appeared before the court.
Durántez also said Rubiales should pay €50,000 (£42,843) in damages to Hermoso, with another €50,000 to be jointly paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera.
In addition, she requested a restraining order barring Rubiales from coming within 200 metres of Hermoso and from communicating with her for the next seven and a half years.
If convicted and sentenced as requested by the prosecutor, Rubiales may not necessarily have to serve time
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