Spain player Jenni Hermoso has filed a criminal complaint against suspended football boss Luis Rubiales for kissing her on the lips at the Women’s World Cup final, a source in Spain’s public prosecutors office said last week. Wednesday.
Issued by:
1 min
The complaint, which was filed on Tuesday, is the key for a preliminary investigation, opened by the prosecutors of the highest criminal court of Spain for the alleged crime of “sexual assault”, to continue.
The president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) Rubiales sparked a worldwide backlash after forcibly kissing Hermoso during the medal ceremony after Spain’s victory in Sydney on August 20.
Hermoso later said that the unwanted kiss made her “vulnerable and like the victim of an attack”, with a statement on social media describing it as “an impulsive, macho act, not in the area and without any kind of permission on my part” .
Rubiales said the kiss was consensual.
The National Court said last week that it had opened a preliminary examination in light of the “unquestionable nature” of Hermoso’s statements, which it said was necessary “to determine their legal meaning”.
The world football governing body FIFA temporarily suspended Rubiales for 90 days after he refused to resign from his post.
Some 81 players from the women’s side went on strike in protest after the 46-year-old’s fierce defensive speech following the incident, in which he mocked “false feminism”.
The RFEF fired Spain women’s coach Jorge Vilda on Tuesday over the scandal.
(AFP)