They ask for two and a half years in prison for Luis Rubiales for kissing the footballer Jenni Hermoso in the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup

The Prosecutor’s Office requested this Wednesday a sentence of two and a half years in prison for the former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales for the crimes of sexual violence and coercion in the case of the non-consensual kiss he gave to the footballer Jenni Hermoso during the Australia-New Zealand 2023 World Cup Champions Awards Ceremony on 20 August.

The Public Prosecutor forwarded his provisional conclusions to the National Court, in which he also requested a prison sentence of one and a half years for a crime of coercion against the former coach of the women’s team, Jorge Vilda; the RFEF marketing manager, Ruben Riveraand the sporting director of the men’s team, Alberto Luca.

In addition to the prison sentence, the prosecutor is asking for Rubiales ban from sporting activity during the sentencetwo years’ probation and a ban on communicating with the player or approaching her within 200 meters for four years.

He also wants him to compensate the player 50,000 euros; the same sum that he claims from the other three defendants, although in his case jointly and severally.

This case, investigated by a judge of the National Court, takes place outside the investigation into several contracts of the RFEF, such as the transfer of the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, over which Rubiales is also investigated in a court in Majadahonda (Madrid).

An action “surprise and without consensus”.

The indictment of the deputy prosecutor of the Court, Marta Durantezdescribes Rubiales’ behavior that was “surprising and without consent or acceptance” of Jenni Hermoso when, during the World Cup medal ceremony, he “held her head” with both hands and “gave her a kiss on the lips “.

An act that triggered a wave of protests and which, criminal matters aside, ended with Rubiales’ disqualification from FIFA for three years.

It happened on August 20, at the Australia Stadium in Sydney, after the victory of the women’s team at the World Cup, when Jenni Hermoso, who had just received the medal during the awards ceremony, received the greeting and congratulations protocol from the then president of the Federation, at which time he kissed her on the lips without her consent, underlines the Prosecutor’s Office.

Harassment of Jenni Hermoso to justify the kiss

The Prosecutor’s Office also accuses Rubiales of having “constantly” and repeatedly put pressure on the player and her entourage to “justify and approve” the kiss he had given her “against her will” in the face of the “personal and professional consequences” that would have could face.

A “situation of harassment” of which he also accuses the other three accused, “trusted people” of Rubiales who assumed their position “under his mandate” and whose “privileged situation in the RFEF” depended on the “luck” that this he would run.

According to the prosecutor, the pressure began as they were leaving the locker room, still in full celebration, when Rubiales “urged” Jenni Hermoso to publicly declare that the kiss was consensual.

They continued onto the bus, from where he “was forced to get off” to sign a statement drawn up by the RFEF “on the orders” of Rubiales, the content of which he “did not share” and which was sent to the media and also to the flight for Spain, where the former president of the federation once again asked her to issue a joint statement with him, to which she once again refused.

New way: pressure on family members

The Prosecutor’s Office claims that Jenni Hermoso’s “repeated refusal” led Rubiales and his “trusted team” to use “another means”: allegedly putting pressure on his relatives.

The letter states that Jorge Vilda tried to convince the player’s brother, warning her that if she did not make the public statement, there would be “negative consequences for her”.

Days later, during the trip to Ibiza of several players, the Prosecutor’s Office claims that Rubén Rivera went to the island and insisted that Jenni Hermoso speak with the head of integrity of the RFEF, a body that had opened a file in which ” ” It was intended, by order” of Rubiales, “to exonerate him”.

Although the international refused and asked “to be left alone”, the prosecutor accuses Rivera of continuing to insist and even trying to pressure a friend who accompanied her so that Jenni Hermoso could speak to the fourth defendant: Albert Luque.

According to the Public Prosecutor, he also went to Ibiza to convince the player to participate in a video that would exonerate Rubiales. She went to the hotel where he was staying and ended up sending several messages to her friend in which she accused the player of being a “bad person, wishing her to find herself very alone in life and announcing that she would be happy if that happened” . .”

The harassment situation, the prosecutor says, stopped when Rubiales was provisionally suspended by FIFA on August 26. A few days later, on September 10, and after having previously assured that he would not resign, he ended up leaving his post.