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Krieger: Luis Rubiales punishment is just a 'slap on the wrist' (2:19)
Ali Krieger reacts to the Luis Rubiales conviction for sexual assault and explains why she views the punishment as just a "slap on the wrist." (2:19)
Reuters
Jun 25, 2025, 10:04 AM ET
Spain's High Court on Wednesday upheld a verdict that found former football federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for an unsolicited kiss on the lips of national team player Jenni Hermoso at the 2023 World Cup in Sydney.
The court rejected multiple appeals against the conviction, reaffirming Rubiales kissed Hermoso without her consent during the medal ceremony after Spain's women had won the trophy, according to the ruling seen by Reuters.
Rubiales was fined over €10,000 ($11,592) and acquitted of coercion charges alongside three co-defendants. Prosecutors had sought a 2½-year prison sentence and called for a retrial, both of which were dismissed.
On Wednesday, Rubiales' attorney, Olga Tubau, said they will appeal the fine.
"We are going to file an appeal before the Supreme Court to obtain a judgment of acquittal that is in accordance with the law," Tubau told Efe News Agency. "[The Supreme Court has already] clearly drawn the line of not considering a kiss punishable when there is no sexual intent, as is the case here."
The incident sparked widespread debate about sexism in Spanish society and women's football, fueling momentum for the "Me Too" movement in the country.
Rubiales argued that his actions were motivated by an uncontrollable joy, but the court ruled that his restraint with other players and attendees demonstrated he could have avoided such behavior with Hermoso.
"Since that emotion did not lead him to express his joy so effusively by kissing the other players or the accompanying persons in the box, and he restrained himself, he could also have done so, without too much effort, with the captain of the team," the court said.
The court's criminal division on Wednesday also upheld the acquittal of the other defendants who appeared in court for the crime of coercion: the former women's national team coach Jorge Vilda, the former director of football for the men's national team Albert Luque and Rubén Rivera, the former head of marketing for the RFEF.
Information from Efe News Agency was used in this report.
