Former Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault, after forcibly kissing player Jenni Hermoso after the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, 2023.
The incident sparked huge backlash and overshadowed the women’s game in the months after the hugely successful World Cup.
Hear more about Luis Rubiales and today’s headlines on The Briefing:
Spain had just won the final 1-nil over England, and when being presented with her medal, Hermoso was grabbed and kissed on the lips by Rubiales.
He had argued during the trial that she consented. Hermoso told the court she didn’t, and the incident had “tainted one of the happiest days of her life.”
It also sparked a wider discussion in Spain around sexism in football.
Today the 47-year-old has been found guilty of sexual assault and was ordered to pay a $16,000. Rubiales was also banned from going within a 200m radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year.
Rubiales has signalled he’ll appeal, saying: “I am going to keep fighting.”
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