MADRID (AP) — Former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales reiterated before a judge on Tuesday that forward Jenni Hermoso gave him consent for a kiss at the 2023 Women’s World Cup final presentation ceremony.
Rubiales is accused of sexual assault and coercion for allegedly trying to downplay the kiss that sparked outrage in Spain, and marred the celebrations of the team's first World Cup title.
"I asked her if I could give her a little kiss and she said ‘OK,’" Rubiales said. “I'm totally sure (she gave consent.)”
Hermoso said on the first day of the trial last week that she did not consent.
Rubiales said he admits the kiss was a mistake, saying he behaved more as a former player than as the president of the institution that he was.,
“Hermoso knows that I asked her and she contested me,” Rubiales said. “I apologized for my behaviour because it was not adequate. Being in that position I should have had cold blood and not let myself be taken away by emotions. Surely I should have behaved more in an institutional plan.”
Rubiales said Hermoso was asked to downplay that kiss because there was an institutional crisis affecting the federation and it was normal for officials to try to diffuse the situation. He said he never asked anyone to pressure Hermoso.
He said Hermoso at the time was not making a big deal about the kiss. Rubiales said that when she said she didn’t want to record a video with him, they accepted the decision and took different actions, which included releasing a statement with Hermoso’s comments to local media at the time.
Hermoso and her teammates gave different versions during their testimony, saying that the player was badly affected by the kiss and pressured to downplay what happened.
An expert on lip reading also testified on Tuesday, saying that Rubiales asked Hermoso, “Can I give you a little kiss?”
Videos were shown with Hermoso celebrating and later talking about the kiss.
“Nobody expected it, but I don't care, we are world champions, that's what matters,” Hermoso said in audios reproduced in court from an interview she gave shortly after the final. "I didn't like it, but all I can say is that it was part of the moment, it won't become nothing more than that, it will go down as an anecdote.
“Whoever wants to make a big deal about it will do it, and those who don't, won't,” she said after the reporter told her that there was a lot of talk about the kiss back in Spain. “I'm very sure that it won't become a big deal, we are the champions.”
There was also a video of Rubiales telling the squad that he was “sad” with the repercussions about the kiss. He apologized and said that he “felt bad” it marred the celebrations. Hermoso was seen in the video laughing normally after his words.
The defense also tried to discredit the previous testimony of Hermoso's brother, who said women's national team coach Jorge Vilda pressured her into recording a video with Rubiales to downplay the situation.
The defense showed an interview with Hermoso’s brother himself downplaying the kiss. He had said in his own testimony that he downplayed the kiss at the time to make sure the focus was about the celebrations.
The three other defendants were expected to testify on Wednesday — Vilda, the federation’s former sports director of the men’s national team, Albert Luque, and the former head of marketing, Ruben Rivera. They are all accused of coercion.
Rubiales resigned under pressure three weeks after the scandal surfaced and was banned by FIFA for three years. He had said he was the victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”
Hermoso testified that she “felt disrespected” by Rubiales after winning the World Cup. She said that the kiss “stained one of the happiest days of my life.”
The kiss prompted outrage in Spain about the prevalence of sexism in sports and beyond.
Prosecutors, Hermoso and the Spain players’ association want Rubiales jailed for two and a half years, fined 50,000 euros ($51,800) for damages, and banned from working as a sports official. They want the other three defendants sentenced to one and a half years in prison.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
