A fine of almost 11 thousand euros . This is how much the former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, will have to pay, convicted by the Audiencia Nacional court for the crime of sexual assault for the forced kiss to the soccer player Jenni Hermoso. The facts date back to 2023, during the awards ceremony of the Soccer World Cup in Sydney. The former federation director was, however, acquitted, along with the other three former RFEF directors accused of the crime of coercion for the alleged intimidation against the Spanish national team striker.

The sanction imposed on Luis Rubiales by Judge José Manuel Clemente Fernandez Prieto of the Audiencia Nacional is a fine of 20 euros per day for 18 months, equal to a total of 10,800 euros, for the sole crime of sexual assault. The sentence also includes a ban for the former director of the Football Federation from coming within 200 meters of Jenni Hermoso and from communicating with her for a year, according to what the court informed. Rubiales was instead acquitted of the charge of having exerted pressure and intimidation against Hermoso and her family members, so that the footballer would publicly declare that the kiss had been permitted.

The other three co-defendants were also acquitted of the same charge: the former director of the men's national team, Albert Luque, the former coach of the women's national team, Jorge Vilda, and the former marketing manager of the RFEF, Ruben Rivera. The Prosecutor's Office had requested a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Rubiales; a year and a half for the three co-defendants. During the trial, which began on February 3 and lasted two weeks, about twenty witnesses appeared before the Audiencia Nacional, including the players of the women's national team Roja, Misa Rodriguez, Irene Parades, Alexia Putellas and Laia Codina, as well as Jenni Hermoso's brother and two friends, who described a series of maneuvers by the top brass of the Football Federation to induce the striker to endorse Rubiales' version.

The soccer player has repeatedly confirmed that she did not consent to the kiss that the former president gave her on live television , blocking her head between his hands. A moment that was immortalized by the cameras and that quickly went around the world.

(Unioneonline/vf)

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