Kiss ruined happiest day of my life, Spain World Cup star Jenni Hermoso tells Luis Rubiales as sex assault trial begins

SPAIN's World Cup victor Jenni Hermoso has told a tribunal that erstwhile shot main Luis Rubiales’ forced buss “stained 1 of the happiest days of my life."

Hermoso, 34, was the archetypal witnesser to look astatine a tribunal successful Madrid arsenic Rubiales' intersexual battle trial began connected Monday.

Rubiales, 47, is accused of intersexual battle and coercion implicit the buss helium planted connected Hermoso astatine the 2023 Women’s World Cup last successful Sydney, wherever Spain defeated England.

The erstwhile Spanish FA boss, who initially refused to resign and dismissed the contention arsenic a “witch hunt by fake feminism,” faces up to two and a fractional years successful situation if convicted.

Rubiales has repeatedly denied immoderate wrongdoing, insisting the buss was a “peck betwixt friends celebrating.”

Taking the basal astatine Madrid’s Audiencia Nacional court, Hermoso described however Rubiales grabbed her caput and kissed her without consent.

"I didn't perceive oregon recognize anything," she told the court.

"The adjacent happening helium did was to drawback maine by the ears and buss maine connected the mouth.

"I felt it was wholly retired of spot and I past realised my brag was kissing me, and this shouldn't hap successful immoderate societal oregon enactment setting.

"A buss connected the lips is lone fixed erstwhile I determine so."

She added: "As a pistillate I felt disrespected. It was a infinitesimal that stained 1 of the happiest days of my life."

Hermoso said the unit run near her fearful for her safety, forcing her to permission Madrid.

“From the archetypal infinitesimal I reached Spain I had cameras aft maine 24 hours, radical pursuing me, radical taking photos portion I was having meal with my family. I had to permission Madrid with my family," she said.

“I felt fearfulness astatine times of being successful the street. I received decease threats and messages of each types and we had to permission Madrid due to the fact that the concern was unbearable.

"It was a alteration successful my beingness and I inactive accidental my beingness changed from that minute.”

‘A connection I hadn’t written’

The tribunal besides heard that conscionable hours aft the kiss, Rubiales and his aides allegedly pressured Hermoso to state it was consensual to incorporate the increasing backlash.

She was called disconnected the squad autobus astatine Sydney’s stadium and shown a connection she was expected to sign.

Hermoso recalled breaking down successful tears arsenic unit mounted connected her to publically downplay the incident.

The Spanish footballer told the court:  “I skim-read it and said and knew I hadn’t written a connection of it.

“It was a connection I had supposedly drafted myself and consented to being enactment retired to instrumentality the flames of the fuss that was being created by the kiss.

“The connection said Luis Rubiales and I were bully friends and the buss happened successful the effusiveness of the moment. I said I didn’t hold to it going out.”

On the formation backmost to Spain, Rubiales allegedly approached Hermoso personally, pleading with her to backmost him publicly.

“He told me, ‘Please, my 2 daughters are successful the backmost of the level crying,’” she said, adding that she refused.

Ex-national squad manager Jorge Vilda — 1 of Rubiales’ co-defendants — past allegedly approached Hermoso’s brother, informing him that her shot vocation could endure if she did not comply.

“I felt wholly unprotected successful what should person been a harmless spot for me,” Hermoso said.

“No 1 asked maine if I needed anything. The lone happening Rubiales and his aides did was effort to support their reputation.”

Spain's #MeToo moment

The ungraded overshadowed Spain’s first-ever Women’s World Cup triumph and became a tipping constituent for sexism successful Spanish sport.

The hashtag #SeAcabó (It’s Over) flooded societal media, with Hermoso and 80 different players going connected onslaught until federation enactment changed.

FIFA suspended Rubiales, who yet resigned successful September 2023.

The incidental besides sparked nationalist soul-searching implicit intersexual misconduct successful Spain.

The state had lone precocious toughened its intersexual battle laws pursuing the notorious ‘La Manada’ (Wolf Pack) pack rape lawsuit successful 2016.

'A peck betwixt friends'

Rubiales continues to contradict wrongdoing, insisting the buss was a “peck betwixt friends” and his downfall was driven by “fake feminism”.

His daughters, 2 of whom were connected the team’s formation home, volition attest successful his defence adjacent Monday.

Former manager Jorge Vilda, ex-federation sporting manager Albert Luque, and selling manager Rubén Rivera besides look coercion charges and imaginable 18-month sentences.

The proceedings is acceptable to tally until February 19, with high-profile witnesses, including Ballon d’Or victor Alexia Putellas and Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, expected to testify.

Rubiales, if convicted, could person a suspended condemnation arsenic first-time offenders successful Spain seldom service clip for situation presumption nether 2 years.

Prosecutors are besides seeking €100,000 (£83,000) successful damages for Hermoso.

A verdict is expected by the extremity of the period astatine the earliest.