A prosecutor at Spain’s Excessive Court docket is looking for a jail sentence of 2-1/2 years for former soccer federation (RFEF) chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on participant Jenni Hermoso, court docket paperwork seen by Reuters and EFE on Wednesday confirmed.
Prosecutor Marta Durántez charged Rubiales with one rely of sexual assault and one in all coercion for his alleged actions within the aftermath of the kiss, offences carrying jail phrases of 1 yr and one-and-a-half years, respectively.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, extra (U.S.)
Rubiales, 46, grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips on Aug. 20 of final yr throughout the awards ceremony after Spain’s victory within the Girls’s World Cup in Sydney.
Hermoso and her teammates mentioned the kiss was undesirable and demeaning, however Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecutor additionally accused the previous coach of the ladies’s nationwide staff, Jorge Vilda, the staff’s present sporting director, Albert Luque, and the federation’s head of promoting, Rubén Rivera, of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
The indictment mentioned the three officers harassed Hermoso by exerting “fixed and repeated acts of stress” straight on the participant and thru her family and friends. They every face 18 months sentences, respectively, as properly.
All three have denied wrongdoing after they appeared earlier than the court docket.
Durántez seeks to have Rubiales pay €50,000 ($54,080) in damages to Hermoso, and one other €50,000 collectively paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera.
As well as, she requested a restraining order barring Rubiales from coming inside 200 metres of Hermoso and from speaking together with her for the subsequent seven-and-a-half years.
If convicted and sentenced as requested by the prosecutor, Rubiales wouldn’t essentially should go to jail. Spain’s felony code permits judges to “exceptionally” droop jail phrases if — as on this case — not one of the sentences imposed individually exceeds two years.
Rubiales has been named in a separate corruption probe that shook the RFEF final week, when police searched the federation’s headquarters and an house belonging to Rubiales, arresting seven folks.
A Spanish court docket has been investigating since June 2022 whether or not Rubiales dedicated against the law of improper administration when the RFEF agreed with former Barcelona participant Gerard Piqué’s Kosmos agency to maneuver the Spanish Tremendous Cup to Saudi Arabia, a judicial supply instructed Reuters then.
Rubiales, who was within the Dominican Republic throughout final week’s searches, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and instructed El Español newspaper he would cooperate with the investigation.
The RFEF, in the meantime, is ready to conduct a forensic audit over alleged irregular contracts of Rubiales.
“The RFEF disassociates itself from the actions of its former president and all those that could possibly be concerned and remembers that this establishment is way above its leaders,” a press release mentioned. “Over the past six months, all efforts have been directed to attaining this stabilisation and shutting the disaster generated, working to make soccer discuss once more.
“The RFEF is conscious of the significance of the present second, months away from a European Championship, Olympic Video games and the presentation of the World Cup bid. Due to this fact, the soundness of this establishment is assured to FIFA, UEFA, the CSD (Spain’s Sports activities Council) and all followers. Spanish soccer is way more than its former presidents or leaders and that’s the way it needs to be conveyed to public opinion.”
A court docket supply mentioned his legal professionals instructed the choose he would return from the Dominican Republic on April 6.
Data from Reuters and EFE information company was used on this report.
