Former Spain soccer chief may stand trial for kiss, judge says
Spain’s former soccer chief, Luis Rubiales, may stand trial for a nonconsensual kiss at the Women's World Cup, a Spanish judge said Thursday.
The former Spanish soccer federation president was banned in October from national and international soccer activities for three years, after the organization found he violated an article of FIFA's disciplinary code.
Following Spain's final 1-0 win against England on Aug. 20, 2023, Rubiales kissed Spanish player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips without her consent during the team's trophy ceremony.
Judge Francisco de Jorge said he considered enough evidence existed to propose a trial for Rubiales and three other former executives with the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
The other executives were Albert Luque, former sporting director; Jorge Vilda, former head coach of Spain's women's team; and Ruben Rivera, former marketing manager, according to the National Court.
Luque, Vilda and Rivera may have put pressure on Hermoso to say it was a consensual kiss, the judge said.
If found guilty, Rubiales could face a jail sentence from 1 to 4 years.
The Public Prosecutor of Madrid and Hermoso now have 10 days to formalize the accusations. Then a trial will be organized by the Spanish court. Hermoso's team confirmed to ABC News that they plan to formalize their accusations and go for trial as quickly as possible.
ABC News' Yi-Jin Yu contributed to this story.
