MADRID (AP) — Teammates of Jenni Hermoso corroborated her account of being distraught and angered by the World Cup kiss from former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales when they testified at his sexual assault trial on Thursday.
Rubiales, who has yet to testify at the trial in Madrid, has previously claimed that Hermoso agreed to the kiss that took place during the awards ceremony after Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Sydney.
Hermoso testified on Monday that the kiss was unsolicited. She also said she was repeatedly pressured by Rubiales and his officials to say otherwise.
Teammate Alexia Putellas told how Hermoso wept on the flight home to Spain from the victory in Australia because Rubiales allegedly tried to get her to make a video with him to respond to the public criticism that erupted after he grabbed her head and placed a kiss on her lips before a global televised audience.
“She said how (Rubiales) wouldn’t stop telling her his version of the events and asking her to come out and say that she had consented to the kiss, that she should do it for his daughters,” Putellas said. “She was mad. She said she told him that he didn’t have to tell her what happened because she had been there, that she was not going to appear with him (in a video) and to leave her alone.”
Putellas, a two-time world player of the year, testified via video from a courthouse in Barcelona, as did Irene Paredes.
Paredes told how she was the first player to see the gravity of the situation when other teammates started to joke about the kiss in the locker room during their victory celebrations. The defender also related how Hermoso became increasingly upset because she said federation officials insisted on her protecting Rubiales from mounting outcry against him in the media, politicians and other sports personalities.
“Jenni was worried, she was upset,” Paredes said. “She cried as she told us what was happening because it was becoming too much for her when all she wanted to do was celebrate what we had achieved.”
Their testimonies backed up those given by goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez and Hermoso's brother on Wednesday.
Prosecutors, Hermoso and the Spain players’ association want Rubiales jailed for two and a half years, fined 50,000 euros ($51,800) for damages, and banned from working as a sports official.
Rubiales, 47, tried to cling to his job but resigned three weeks later and was banned by FIFA for three years. Rubiales said he was the victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”
Three other federation officials, including former coach Jorge Vilda, are being tried for allegedly coercing Hermoso to back Rubiales. The three have yet to testify and previously denied any wrongdoing. They face a year and a half of prison time if found guilty.
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The Associated Press
