Spain’s Jenni Hermoso says kiss from football boss ‘stained’ World Cup win

Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso contiguous told a tribunal however an unwanted buss connected the lips from her erstwhile brag aft winning the Women’s World Cup ‘tainted’ 1 of the happiest days of her life.

The 34-year-old striker said she had felt ‘abused’ by ex-Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales aft helium kissed her connected the podium without consent aft her team’s 1-0 triumph implicit England successful the 2023 World Cup last successful Sydney.

Hermoso told the Audiencia Nacional tribunal successful Madrid she had been reduced to tears aft Rubiales and his aides tried to unit her into claiming the buss was conscionable a ‘spur-of-the-moment’ peck connected the lips which hadn’t bothered her aft the clip went viral connected social media.

Rubiales looked connected impassively arsenic she took the basal connected time 1 of the much-anticipated ‘Kissgate’ proceedings to assertion helium had done thing which was ‘wrong’ arsenic a superior and had contributed to leaving her ‘completely unprotected’ arsenic helium and his absorption squad tried to salvage their reputations successful the ensuing media storm.

The 47-year-old dad-of-three is accused of intersexual battle and coercion implicit the buss and his consequent alleged behaviour.

Public prosecutors privation him jailed for a twelvemonth if convicted of the archetypal offence and handed a one-year six period situation condemnation if recovered blameworthy of the 2nd transgression successful narration to his alleged attempts with the assistance of aides to unit Hermoso into declaring the buss had been consensual.

Taking the witnesser basal astatine conscionable aft 10.20am contiguous successful a achromatic roll-neck sweater and grey jeans, Hermoso told the court: ‘From the archetypal time it was wide to maine I wanted to denounce what happened.’

Recalling however she greeted Spain’s Queen Letizia and the royal’s past 16-year-old girl arsenic she went to cod her World Cup-winning medal earlier coming face-to-face with Rubiales, she said: ‘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 my ears and past came the kiss.’

Telling nationalist authoritative Marta Durantez during questioning the erstwhile Spanish FA brag grabbed clasp of her caput ‘forcefully’ and didn’t springiness her immoderate clip to react, she added: ‘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.’

Asked whether she felt ‘abused’ arsenic a woman, Hermoso added: ‘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.’

Just hours aft the incident, Hermoso claims she was called disconnected the squad manager astatine the Sydney stadium wherever Spain listed the trophy by a property serviceman who showed her a connection she was expected to person penned herself.

She 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.’

When she refused to motion the statement, Rubiales reportedly approached her himself and asked her to movie a video of them unneurotic to unopen down societal media speculation.

She told the court: ‘I told him I wasn’t going to bash anything, that I wasn’t the 1 who had started things. He told maine “Please, my 2 daughters are successful the backmost of the level crying.”

‘I repeated that I wasn’t going to bash it and I retrieve him saying helium had a woman astatine that clip and it hadn’t bothered her.’

Alleging then-manager Jorge Vilda had approached her member connected the level to effort to enactment unit connected her to alteration her mind, she said: ‘I felt wholly unprotected successful what should person been a harmless spot for me, 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.’

Asked however galore times she had been asked to enactment retired a property merchandise oregon connection supporting Rubiales, Jenni said: ‘Too galore to count. The concern prevented maine from enjoying being a World Champion.

Two of Rubiales’ 3 daughters, the ones who were connected the plane, are owed to springiness grounds connected his behalf adjacent Monday.

Barcelona striker Alexia Putellas, portion of the women’s World Cup-winning team, volition springiness grounds connected Hermoso’s behalf connected Thursday. Other witnesses see the existent Spain manager Luis de la Fuente.

Rubiales resigned from his station successful 2023 and was charged past twelvemonth aft a long-running transgression probe unrelated to the existent charges.

The ‘Kissgate’ proceedings is taking spot without a assemblage and is owed to decorativeness connected February 19. The judges’ verdict is expected to beryllium delivered astatine the extremity of this period astatine the earliest successful penning and adjacent if helium is convicted and handed a situation condemnation Rubiales could hold his incarceration by appealing.

In immoderate lawsuit situation sentences of 2 years oregon little are usually suspended for first-time offenders.

As good arsenic a situation sentence, nationalist prosecutors besides said successful their pre-trial indictment they wanted Rubiales to wage Jenni Hermoso €100,000 (£85,000) successful compensation if helium is convicted.

Get successful interaction with our quality squad by emailing america astatine webnews@metro.co.uk.

For much stories similar this, check our quality page.