Spain star Jenni Hermoso on Monday told the trial of disgraced ex-football chief Luis Rubiales that the forced kiss he gave her in 2023 “shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting”.
Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison against Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion after his kiss on Hermoso following the 2023 Women’s World Cup final sparked global outrage.
Rubiales has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion.
“I felt it was totally out of place and I then realised my boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting,” Hermoso told the court on the opening day of the trial.
“A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so,” she added.
The scandal that rocked Spanish football and wrecked Rubiales’ career came moments after Hermoso and her teammates had clinched World Cup glory by beating England in the final in Sydney.
“As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life,” Hermoso said.
“For me it is very important to say that at no point did I seek that act, let alone expect it.”
The trial at the National Court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid is scheduled to run until February 19.
