Kiss 'stained' Spain World Cup win, Hermoso tells trial

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EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Jenni Hermoso, a woman with long black hair and brown eyes, wears a grey coat and white shirt. EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Jenni Hermoso, 34, was the first witness at Luis Rubiales' trial

Jenni Hermoso has told the trial of former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales that the kiss he gave her at the 2023 World Cup "stained one of the happiest days of my life".

Rubiales, the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, went on trial in Madrid on Monday over the kiss, accused of sexual assault and coercion.

Appearing as the trial's first witness, Hermoso said: "My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn't happen in any social or work setting."

Rubiales sparked major controversy when he kissed the athlete on the lips while the players received their World Cup medals in Australia, triggering protests and calls for his resignation. He denies any wrongdoing.

Hermoso told the court that she had never given permission to be kissed and felt "disrespected" as a woman.

"I didn't hear or understand anything," she said.

"The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth."

She went on: "A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so".

"No one came to ask me how I was" after the kiss, she told the trial.

The footballer said she felt "completely abandoned by the federation".

Hermoso added that her life had been "on stand-by" until the trial began on Monday.

She said she had received death threats that prompted her to leave Madrid with her family. She now plays in Mexico.

Reuters Luis Rubiales sits behind a desk in front of two large windows. He is bald and wears a dark blue jacket, white shirt, and blue tie. Reuters

Rubiales on the first day of his trial at the National High Court

Prosecutors are calling for Rubiales, 47, to receive a one-year prison sentence for sexual assault.

They are also calling for him to be given a sentence of a year-and-a-half for coercion, for allegedly trying to pressure Hermoso into saying publicly that the kiss was consensual.

Rubiales denies the charges.

At the time, Rubiales said the kiss had been consensual and denounced a so-called witch-hunt by "fake feminism," before resigning from his position.

Three of his former colleagues are also on trial accused of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.

Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the federation's former head of marketing, and former sporting director, Albert Luque all deny the charges.

The trial runs until 19 February.

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