Luis Rubiales continued to plead his innocence in Spain’s National Court as part of an ongoing investigation into the ‘kiss-gate’ scandal that has torn apart Spanish football, claiming Jenni Hermoso was lying about refusing to consent to the kiss .
Rubiales finally resigned as president of the Spanish FA (RFEF) on September 10, after facing protests since the Women’s World Cup final on August 20.
After Olga Carmona’s goal against England gave La Roja their first ever title, Hermoso was kissed on the lips by Rubiales as he presented the players with their medals.
Immediately afterwards, Hermoso claimed it was not consensual, while Rubiales maintained the opposite, with the rest of the team – along with a number of other Spanish players – later signing a statement saying they would refuse to play for their country. unless certain infrastructural changes are made.
Although he initially refused to do so, Rubiales resigned from his post and is now at the center of an investigation into his actions as Spain seeks to recover from the scandal and move forward. He reportedly spoke for nearly 55 minutes in his defense.
Luis Rubiales has appeared before the Spanish National Court as part of an ongoing investigation into his actions.
Jenni Hermoso claimed she did not consent to the kiss, something Rubiales disagrees with.
Spanish football endured a tumultuous period after Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips.
The question of consent was understandably a major question for the court, and after the judge persisted in asking whether there was in fact consent for the kiss, Rubiales insisted that Hermoso was lying.
“She knows perfectly well that she is lying,” he said, according to media outlet El ESPAÑOL, before adding that he had a conversation with Hermoso about the potential negative reaction after the fact.
“There was a time when I passed her, because I was in the front row and she went to the bathroom. Fifteen seconds wouldn’t be more. “Hey, Jenni, why don’t we all go out two ? Let’s get this over with, because it’s going to hurt me a lot.”
“No, listen, President Rubi, I’m passing my turn, I want to enjoy the World Cup, I won’t make any more statements. If I’ve already said it, whoever wants to understand it should understand it, and whoever doesn’t does not want to understand it must not understand it.”
“Yes, yes, you explained it and it was clear, but we are asking you, on the advice of those who know, to go out together.” (She replies:) “I’m not going to do it.” That’s it.’
Rubiales added that he actually asked Hermoso for consent before kissing him after the World Cup final, a request to which the player agreed.
“During the medal ceremony, I was kissing the players, the coach, when she passed. She comes up to me to give me a hug. We kiss, she picks me up and I make a gesture so as not to fall, all this with a conversation in which I remind her – because she had missed a penalty – to cheer herself up a little, that without her we couldn’t have won the World Cup.
“She tells me I’m a crack (a slang term for affection in Spanish), thank you very much. And then I ask him, can I give you a little kiss, a little kiss? And she tells me it’s okay.
Rubiales claimed Hermoso gave consent immediately before Rubiales kissed him
Rubiales argued that he showed Hermoso respect by asking for her consent, and suggesting that most received the kiss as a “meme.”
The prosecutor then asked Rubiales, “If the kiss was consensual, why did you respond to it by holding his head with your hands?”
He then replied: “Well, for joy. She catches me wherever she can, I catch her too and that’s it. Two or three minutes later, they all grabbed me and pulled me up, swinging me.
“And at this point, I’m not going to say they shouldn’t touch, excuse me, my butt or my knees or my shoulder.” We won a World Cup and the immense euphoria and joy there is indescribable.
“It happened that way because when you win the lottery or a war ends, the war in Ukraine ends or you win a World Cup, well, this outpouring, this spontaneity… “
Hermoso’s lawyer then asked him if he thought he had shown her respect, which elicited the following response: “If I already asked her, how can I not respect her?” And she left, laughing and slapping me in the side twice.
“How am I going to say sorry if we were both super happy?” And we kissed, and then she came back and she kept me with others, and we were delighted with her life, if she didn’t care about it.
Rubiales also argued that initially the kiss was received as “a meme”, but that the vast majority of people, saying that rather than taking someone “forcibly into an office”, the fact that the kiss took place in front of millions of people shows that it is “natural”. ‘ for two people who have spent so much time together.
According to a Spanish media El ConfidentialRubiales pressured an employee of the RFEF communications department to testify that Hermoso had given consent to the kiss.
The former president claimed the kiss was “natural” for two people who have spent so much time in each other’s company.
Jorge Vilda replaced by Montse Tome at the helm of the Spanish team after the World Cup
Rubiales is also prohibited from contacting Hermoso or being within 200 meters of her. General secretary Andreu Camps was also dismissed following the events of the World Cup final.
After threatening to strike if progress was not made to protect the players in the future, the Spanish World Cup winners eventually returned to the squad, although Hermoso was left out in goal to “protect” her from a recent series of matches.
It has been a tumultuous time for the Spanish FA, which renamed the women’s team as the Spanish football team as the RFEF unveiled a neutral name change for the team following crucial discussions with players.
Former coach Jorge Vilda – who was replaced by Montse Tome – was also summoned to court as an “indicted party”, alongside two other federation officials.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has sacked its general secretary Andreu Camps and apologized for what happened in the aftermath of the World Cup final.
