Spanish Court Upholds Rubiales’ Conviction Over World Cup Kiss
Rubiales was fined €10,800 in February for kissing Hermoso without consent following Spain’s victory at the 2023 Women’s World Cup — a moment that sparked global outrage and widespread calls for accountability.
Former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales has failed in his attempt to overturn a sexual assault conviction tied to his controversial kiss of national team captain Jenni Hermoso.
Rubiales was fined €10,800 in February for kissing Hermoso without consent following Spain’s victory at the 2023 Women’s World Cup — a moment that sparked global outrage and widespread calls for accountability.
On Wednesday, Spain’s Audencia Nacional upheld the conviction, rejecting both Rubiales’ appeal and a separate push by prosecutors who had called for a retrial and a prison sentence.
The court reaffirmed that the kiss was not consensual, highlighting that Hermoso had objected to the act from the beginning. The ruling also noted that Rubiales had exercised restraint with other players and could have done the same with Hermoso, but chose not to.
During the initial trial, Hermoso testified that she had not agreed to the kiss, which she said disrespected her and tarnished what should have been one of the proudest moments of her career.
In addition to the fine, the court maintained a one-year restraining order barring Rubiales from coming within 200 meters of Hermoso or contacting her. However, it upheld the decision not to convict him on coercion charges.
Prosecutors had accused Rubiales of pressuring Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual — an allegation he denied. Three other football federation officials previously implicated in the coercion claims were also cleared, a decision confirmed by the court.
The case has become a watershed moment for gender rights in sport, spotlighting issues of consent, power dynamics, and accountability at the highest levels of football.
