A prosecutor at Spain's High Court is seeking a prison sentence of two and half years for former soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on player Jennifer Hermoso.
Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss, offences carrying jail terms of one year and one and a half years, respectively.
Rubiales, 46, unleashed a furore when he grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips on 20 August of last year during the awards ceremony after Spain's victory in the women's World Cup in Sydney.
Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning, but Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecutor also accused the former coach of the women's national team, Jorge Vilda, the team's current sporting director, Albert Luque, and the federation's head of marketing, Ruben Rivera, of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
All three have denied wrongdoing when they appeared before the court.
Durantez seeks to have Rubiales pay €50,000 in damages to Hermoso, and another €50,000 jointly paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera.
If the court were to convict Rubiales and impose the sentencing sought by the prosecutor he would not necessarily have to go to prison. Spain's criminal code allows judges to "exceptionally" suspend the execution of the sentence if - as in this case - none of the sentences imposed individually exceeds two years.
Meanwhile, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) today also promised to conduct a forensic audit of alleged "irregular conduct" by its former president.
The federation said last week it was co-operating with the country's criminal authorities after a raid on its headquarters in relation to a corruption and money-laundering investigation.
The police were also reported to have raided an apartment in Granada belonging to Rubiales, who was banned from all football activity for three years last October over his misconduct at last summer’s Women’s World Cup final.
The RFEF issued a statement on Wednesday confirming its management commission will now examine "any type of contract that may be under suspicion due to the actions of its former president, Luis Rubiales".
"The RFEF wants to show its total disassociation with the irregular conduct and actions of its former president and all those who may be involved, as well as emphasise that this institution is far above its leaders," a federation statement said.
"The federation is a fundamental institution, the basis of Spanish football, home of the national teams and made up of professionals who carry out their work effectively and who jointly ensure the progress of this sport with great responsibility and effort.
"For this reason, it should not be linked to particular behaviours.
"The RFEF is aware of the importance of the current moment, months away from a European Championship, an Olympic Games and the presentation of the (2030) World Cup bid.
"Spanish football is much more than its former presidents or leaders."
It has been reported in the Spanish media that the raids last week were linked to an investigation launched in 2022 into the RFEF’s decision to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
Rubiales denied any wrongdoing at the time the Super Cup investigation was launched in 2022.
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