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Spain Upholds Fine Against Rubiales for Hermoso Forced Kiss
- On June 25, 2025, Spain's High Court confirmed the conviction of former head of the national football federation, Luis Rubiales, for sexually assaulting national team captain Jenni Hermoso by kissing her without consent during the medal ceremony following Spain's women’s World Cup victory in Sydney in 2023.
- After several appeals, the court rejected the prosecutors' requests for a 30-month prison term and a new trial.
- The court ruled that Rubiales restrained himself from kissing other players and attendees, indicating he could have avoided such conduct with Hermoso, rejecting his argument that uncontrollable joy motivated his behavior.
- Rubiales received a penalty exceeding €10,000 and was cleared of coercion accusations together with three other individuals, while the event prompted extensive discussions about gender bias in Spain and the treatment of women’s football.
- The ruling fueled momentum for the 'Me Too' movement in Spain and highlighted ongoing social issues regarding gender and consent in sports and society.
88 Articles
88 Articles
Spain’s High Court upholds conviction of ex-soccer chief Luis Rubiales in kiss case
Spain’s High Court on Wednesday upheld a verdict that found former soccer federation president Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for an unsolicited kiss on the lips of national team player Jenni Hermoso at the 2023 World Cup in Sydney.
The unusual incident caused huge outrage in Spain.
The Spanish National High Court confirms the sentence against Luis Rubiales for the crime of sexual assault for the non-consensual kiss he gave Jenni Hermoso in the 2023 Women’s World Cup award. The conviction indicates that the former president of the Spanish Football Federation will have to pay $12,500 as a fine. A figure that he has to pay within 18 months in an disbursement of $20 a day. The Appeals Chamber also ratified the acquittal of Jor…
On Wednesday, a Spanish court of appeal confirmed the conviction of former Spanish football association leader Luis Rubiales to a fine for a forced kiss. The classification of the incident as "sexual assault" in the conviction at first instance was "correct", the court declared. Rubiales had not had the consent of player Jennifer Hermoso to kiss her. Rubiales had grabbed Hermoso's head with both hands in front of television cameras at the award …
Luis Rubiales is also confirmed in second instance that his forced kiss on the mouth of football star Jennifer Hermoso was a sexual assault. The former boss of the Spanish football association wants to challenge the verdict.
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Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources lean Right
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