By Victor Kanayo
The immediate-past President of Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, is meant to face trial months after kissing Women’s World Cup player Jenni Hermoso without her consent.
The kiss, which Hermoso and her team-mates said was unwanted and demeaning, happened at last year’s 1-0 World Cup win against England and made global headlines.
Rubiales was forced to resign but has denied any wrongdoing.
A Spanish High Court judge said on Wednesday that Rubiales was also facing one charge of coercion.
The scandal overshadowed a historic moment for Spain’s women team, which at the time was celebrating its first ever World Cup win on 20 August, 2023.
During the trophy presentation ceremony, Rubiales clasped Hermoso’s head between his hands and planted a kiss on her lips.
It was broadcast to billions worldwide, producing a fierce backlash and national debate over sexism in Spain.
Rubiales, 46, has strenuously denied wrongdoing, saying the kiss was consensual and he was the victim of a “social assassination”.
However, Hermoso has it was both “unexpected and at no time consensual”.
Rubiales faces one count of sexual assault, which carries a prison term of a year.
He will also be tried for coercion alongside the former coach of the women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, the team’s current sporting director, Albert Luque, and the federation’s head of marketing, Ruben Rivera.
All four men, who have denied wrongdoing, are accused of trying to pressure Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
They could each face up to 18 months in jail if convicted.
The trial will be held at the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid, though the date has not yet been confirmed.
The court has set a bail of €65,000 (£55,900) for Rubiales’s charge of sexual assault to be paid within 24 hours to cover “any civil liabilities he may be ordered to pay”, AFP news agency reports.
A further bail of €65,000 is to be posted jointly between Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Riveria on the charges of coercion.
