Luis Rubiales tells court he asked Jenni Hermoso if he could kiss her after World Cup win

Prosecutors are seeking a two-and-a-half-year condemnation for erstwhile Spanish FA main Luis Rubiales, who said helium made a mistake by kissing Jenni Hermoso aft the 2023 Women's World Cup last but denied committing immoderate offence

Former Spanish FA main Luis Rubiales has told a tribunal Jenni Hermoso gave him consent earlier kissing her aft the 2023 Women's World Cup final.

The 47-year-old has been successful tribunal this week aft being accused of intersexual battle by kissing Spanish planetary Hermoso connected the lips without her support pursuing Spain's 1-0 triumph implicit England successful the final. He is besides accused of trying to coerce Hermoso into saying the buss was consensual.

Prosecutors are seeking a two-and-a-half-year condemnation for Rubiales, who said helium made a mistake but denied committing immoderate offence.

Hermoso has already spoken successful the proceedings to assertion she felt "abused", denying she consented to the buss and saying the infinitesimal had "stained 1 of the happiest days of my life".

Rubiales has present insisted helium did person consent portion testifying successful Madrid. He said: "I americium perfectly definite that she gave maine her permission. In that infinitesimal it was thing wholly spontaneous.

"This was a tremendous infinitesimal for her. We were thanking each other, she pressed maine precise hard astir the waist and past I asked her whether I could springiness her a buss and she said yes. I took clasp of her truthful arsenic not to autumn back."

Rubiales was past quizzed connected if helium asked her for a buss oregon a "little kiss". He replied: "I can't retrieve exactly. But I deliberation it was a small kiss."

He added: “I intelligibly made a mistake and arsenic president of the federation enactment my ft successful it. I behaved similar a subordinate celebrating a sporting triumph, arsenic conscionable different idiosyncratic successful the group. I should person thought much and acted successful a much organization manner, but nary mode was it a crime."

Rubiales confessed helium had tried to transportation the women's shot prima to hold to the "ideal situation" of backing him arsenic the fallout from the buss escalated into a full-blown situation that enactment his occupation astatine risk.

Former Spain’s World Cup women’s squad manager Jorge Vilda, ex-men’s squad manager Albert Luque and erstwhile Spanish FA selling manager Ruben Rivera are Rubiales’ co-defendants are accused of engagement successful coercion of Hermoso.

It came aft Hermoso took the witnesser basal to springiness her relationship of the ungraded arsenic she told of her daze erstwhile Rubiales kissed her.

"From the archetypal time it was wide to maine I wanted to denounce what happened. I told him, ‘What a blast we’ve had’ and helium replied: 'We’ve won this World Cup acknowledgment to you'. He enactment his hands connected his ears and past came the kiss. It was a thousandth of a second. I felt it was wholly retired of context. My brag was kissing maine and what was happening shouldn’t hap successful immoderate moving context."

When asked if she felt "abused", she replied: "Yes, I felt precise small respect. Luis Rubiales ne'er asked if I wanted a buss earlier helium kissed me. It was a infinitesimal that stained 1 of the happiest days of my life."

She went connected to allege that a connection was shown to her by a property serviceman that she was expected to person written herself, but denied being involved.

"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."

She added that Rubiales approached her during the formation backmost to Spain asking her to grounds a video with him to societal media successful effect to the backlash, which she refused.

Hermoso added: "I felt wholly unprotected successful what should person been a harmless spot for maine which was my team. No-one asked maine if I needed anything.

"The lone happening Luis Rubiales and his aides did was to effort to support their reputation. 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. 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.”

When asked however galore times she had been asked to enactment retired a connection successful enactment of Rubiales, she responded: "Too galore to count. The concern prevented maine from enjoying being a World Champion."

The trial, which is taking spot without a jury, is acceptable to proceed until February 19, with a verdict expected astatine the extremity of the month.