Former Spanish Football Federation president banned from approaching player Hermoso

On September 15, the Spanish National Court held a hearing in the case of Mr. Rubiales harassing female player Jenni Hermoso.

Prosecutors have asked the judge to issue an order prohibiting Mr Rubiales from contacting or coming within 500 metres of player Hermoso.

In addition, prosecutors asked the Court to check on Mr. Rubiales every 15 days to prevent him from fleeing the country.

During the hearing that lasted nearly an hour, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) denied all allegations of harassment of female players. He affirmed that he did not force or receive Hermoso's consent before carrying out the above actions.

Mr. Rubiales left when the hearing ended.

At the end of the hearing, Mr. Rubiales and his lawyer left without answering any questions from the press. Meanwhile, Jenni Hermos' lawyer - Ms. Carla Vall - said she was satisfied with the meeting.

" We can confirm that the kiss was not consensual, that's all we've said from the beginning. Thanks to that image, the whole country and the world can see that there was no consent. We will prove that at trial," said Jenni Hermos' attorney.

The scandal broke out after the 2023 Women's World Cup final. Rubiales kissed and groped Hermoso on the podium, drawing widespread condemnation, while the player claimed the act was coercive.

At an extraordinary meeting of the RFEF, Mr. Rubiales announced that he would not resign. This led to more than 80 players - including all members of the 2023 Women's World Cup winners - declaring that they would not play for the team until Mr. Rubiales was fired. FIFA suspended him for 90 days while it investigated the incident.

The Spanish Sports Court and Jenni Hermoso filed a lawsuit against Mr Rubiales for the above conduct.

On September 10, Mr. Rubiales announced his resignation as president of the RFEF so that Spanish football would not be harmed, especially in the race to host the 2030 World Cup. However, Mr. Rubiales also affirmed that he did nothing wrong in the scandal related to the act of kissing a player during the coronation ceremony of the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Van Hai (Source: The Global and Mail)

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