Luis Rubiales arrives at court to testify in corruption probe as the disgraced former Spanish football president awaits separate trial over World Cup kiss-gate scandal

The former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, arrived at a court in Madrid on Monday to testify as a witness in a corruption investigation.

The disgraced former president resigned in September 2023 following the kiss-gate scandal, in which he allegedly kissed World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso without consent.

As La Roja celebrated their first win at the Women’s World Cup, Rubiales was on the pitch to congratulate the team when cameras appeared to see the former president kissing Hermoso.

The resulting scandal became one of the biggest stories in football, and after Rubiales eventually resigned before being handed a three-year ban from FIFA, he will now face trial, with prosecutors pushing for a two-and-a-half sentence half year in prison.

However, the 46-year-old has been under investigation since June 2022 for improper management when the Spanish Super Cup was moved to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth a reported €120 million.

Rubiales, pictured arriving in Madrid on Monday, has been under investigation for improper management since June 2022 when the Spanish Super Cup was moved to Saudi Arabia.

He has since resigned following criticism from the Spanish government and team, among others (photo: Hermoso, whom he allegedly kissed without consent)

A An agreement was concluded with former FC Barcelona player Gerard Pique‘s Kosmos company to move the tournament.

A Spanish court had ordered the RFEF headquarters and other properties linked to an investigation into alleged corruption, improper management and money laundering during his tenure as RFEF president. He denies any wrongdoing.

An RFEF source told Reuters that Rubiales’ home had also been searched. Footage showed vigilante officers emerging from the apartment in central Granada with a cardboard box marked ‘Luis Rubiales’, along with several other bags.

Police had also searched a football stadium in Seville. Seven people have been arrested so far.

Rubiales was arrested earlier this month upon his return to Spain from the Dominican Republic but was released after his arrest. However, he still faces possible punishment for his actions last August.

Rubiales will be tried for allegedly kissing Hermoso last summer, and for subsequent coercion next to former Spain women’s team manager Jorge Vilda.

Last month, prosecutors involved in the case said they were seeking a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Rubiales, who continued to claim his innocence over the event.

The outlet reports that the Third Section of the Criminal Court made the decision by rejecting the appeals against the order of the judge in the case, Francisco de Jorge, which were filed by Rubiales and Vilda, as well as former director Albert Luque and Ruben . Rivera, who worked in marketing.

A Spanish court also investigated Rubiales over a 2019 decision to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia

Police searched former President Rubiales’ apartment in March

Police also raided the headquarters of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in Madrid

The Chamber would have ruled that the details of the appeal contained evidence that fit the description of a crime against sexual freedom and a crime of coercion.

The court reportedly indicated that the legal consequences “of the kiss and consent cannot be assessed at this time.”

Prosecutors had told the judge in a filing that they wanted to ask Rubiales for a year in prison if found guilty at a trial for sexual assault and an additional 18 months for coercion related to his alleged attempts to get the footballer to express himself speak in the case. his defense after his World Cup kiss.

They are also reportedly asking for Rubiales to be disqualified from working in the sport during the punishment and to be barred from communicating with Hermoso for four years.

Rubiales has claimed innocence since the event, early this month in an interview with broadcaster La Sexta.

‘I have a clear conscience. Things have gone crazy. “Something small happened that consumed someone,” he said.

‘I wanted to be calm and get out of the spotlight. False feminism? What I said has been said.

The former Spanish FA president, 46, will also face trial over the World Cup kiss-gate scandal

Hermoso, the star of last year’s Spain World Cup-winning team, smiles in a photo on Instagram

‘I defend egalitarianism. Feminism advocates supporting women to achieve equality.”

He added: “For me there is no crime. It is my opinion. I asked her the question [over the kiss] and she said, “Okay.”

“You can’t interrogate Hermoso. I can. Is it because I’m a man? They want to restrict freedom of thought.’

In a subsequent clip, he said of his infamous kiss: “I can’t understand how anyone could think this was an assault,” before rejecting any coercion, saying: “I only spoke to Miss Hermoso for 10 or 15 seconds.” ‘