Spanish prosecutors have requested that Luis Rubiales be banned from going within 500 meters of World Cup women’s player Jenni Hermoso or contacting her during his first court appearance after allegedly forcibly kissing the footballer.
Rubiales, 46, was summoned to the Audencia Nacional court in Madrid, where he denied allegations of sexual assault and coercion by Hermosa, the prosecutor leading the case said.
Prosecutors asked Judge Francisco de Jorge to consider issuing a restraining order banning Rubiales from coming within 500 meters of Hermoso or attempting to communicate with her, as well as a requirement for him to report to a court every 15 days to make sure he does so. not flee the country.
The judge will have to decide whether these measures will be applied.
Rubiales, wearing a navy blue suit and white shirt, said nothing before entering the courthouse with his attorney. He testified before Judge Francisco de Jorge, who is leading the investigation into the kiss. Hermoso will also be called to testify at a later date.
Spanish prosecutors last week formally charged Rubiales with alleged sexual abuse and coercion when, according to Hermoso, he pressured her to speak out in his defense immediately after the scandal broke.
Prosecutors said Rubiales denied both charges as he answered the judge’s questions during an hour-long hearing that was closed to the public.
Rubiales sparked outrage when he grabbed the midfielder and kissed her on the lips in front of shocked spectators after Spain beat England 1-0 in the World Cup final on August 20. He said she consented to the kiss, but Hermoso has repeatedly denied that. .
Rubiales arrives today at the High Court in Madrid to be charged with sexual abuse
Rubiales is the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation
The 46-year-old has been summoned to the Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid, where he will appear before judge Francisco de Jorge, who is leading the investigation.
Five days after being fired as Spain’s football chief, Rubiales is due to appear in court on charges of sexual assault for forcibly kissing World Cup women’s player Jenni Hermoso
Rubiales, then head of the Spanish football federation RFEF, has repeatedly emphasized that the kiss was consensual.
But Hermoso has said this was not the case and left her feeling like a “victim of an attack.”
Jude De Jorge on Monday admitted a complaint against Rubiales filed the week before by the public prosecutor’s office, alleging “crimes of sexual assault” and “coercion.”
According to a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a category that groups all forms of sexual violence.
Judge De Jorge will conduct the preliminary investigation into the allegations against Rubiales and will then decide whether the case should go to trial.
If Rubiales is found guilty of sexual assault, he could face a penalty ranging from a fine to four years in prison, prosecutors’ sources said.
In their complaint, prosecutors said they included the crime of coercion because of Hermoso’s statement in which she said that “she and those close to her were under constant pressure from Luis Rubiales and his professional entourage to justify and condone his actions.”
The global outcry over the incident virtually overshadowed victory celebrations for Spain’s World Cup champions.
After refusing to resign over the kiss for three weeks, Rubiales, who was suspended by FIFA on August 26, resigned late on Sunday but continued to insist the kiss was consensual in a TV interview with Britain’s Piers Morgan.
Former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales arrives at the Supreme Court in Madrid today
He claims anger over ‘kissgate’ is due to misunderstanding of Latin culture in TalkTv interview with Piers Morgan
Rubiales is accused of sexual assault for kissing Spanish player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips without consent after Spain’s 1-0 win over England in the World Cup final on August 20.
“What we had was a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, that was driven by the emotion of the moment,” he said, describing the kiss as “100 percent non-sexual.”
He claimed that the anger over the kiss is due to a misunderstanding of Latin culture and insisted that he would have done the same with a male player.
Rubiales said, “We were both emotional. We congratulated each other, I asked her “Can I give you a kiss?” – which is normal in our country – I give her a quick kiss, I think she gave me one or two slaps in the side and that was it.
“No intention of course, no sexual connotation or anything, just a moment of happiness, just great joy in that moment.”
The hearing comes with new coach Montse Tome, the first woman to lead the team, set to announce her squad on Friday for the UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland on September 22 and 26.
Her first task will be to convince the 23 world champions to don the red jersey again after she and dozens of others said they would not play for the national team without major changes at the head of the federation.
The players have not yet said what they will do after Rubiales’ resignation, although the situation has changed since the RFEF fired their controversial coach Jorge Vilda, appointed Tome in his place and promised further internal reforms.
‘We’ve had conversations. I don’t think there will be any problem,” Rafael del Amo, head of the RFEF women’s football committee, told Cope Radio on Tuesday.
“I think things will move forward.”