The Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso is expected to appear in court on Tuesday to give evidence against the former president of the country’s football association over an unwanted kiss during Spain‘s World Cup win last summer.
In a closed-door session Hermoso is set to give her version of events which turned celebrations after the victory in August into a global #MeToo moment.
When Luis Rubiales planted the kiss on the lips of the striker, he sparked the #SeAcabo [It’s Over] movement in Spain and beyond, over sexual equality. The football boss, who has always insisted that the kiss was consensual and denies any wrongdoing, was banned from all football-related activities by Fifa, the sport’s world governing body.
State prosecutors have accused Rubiales of sexual abuse and coercion for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to speak out in his defence after his actions prompted a worldwide controversy. The presiding judge must decide if the case should be sent for trial.
However, observers have suggested if the matter comes before a jury, a trial will have an impact far beyond the incident minutes after Spain beat England in Sydney.
Hermoso said she hoped something good would come out of the kiss scandal. Appearing on a live television show as Spain welcomed in 2024, the footballer told the nation: “I hope a lot of people feel empowered.”
In an interview with GQ Spain last month, she was asked how she wanted to be remembered.
Luis Rubiales after the World Cup final last year— (PA Wire)
“As someone who has wanted to leave Spain at the top but, above all, as someone who has tried to change many mentalities,” she replied.
“Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is this story, but I am going to learn to take advantage of it positively to fight for what I believe is good for society. The #SeAcabo movement must bring a new era.”
The player disclosed she has received threats and was working with a psychologist to get through “the consequences of an act” she “did not provoke, that I had not chosen or premeditated”.
Natalia Torrente is a Spanish football journalist who broke the story alleging that Hermoso had been coerced into making a statement appearing to play down the kiss shortly after the incident. It is an accusation the Spanish Football Federation has denied. Hermoso subsequently denied ever saying words attributed to her.
From there the story exploded as Mr Rubiales refused – repeatedly – to resign and his mother even went on hunger strike.
Ms Torrente, who has also been threatened online, said the affair has been hard for Hermoso to cope with.
“Jenni has a strong character. She has been badly affected,” she told The Independent. Torrente said the Spain player does not want to hide away simply because she has been an alleged victim of sexual abuse.
“She is extroverted, she shows a side which is very open. At the end of the day, she can be an [alleged] victim but can carry on with her life without hiding away,” she said.
Ms Torrente believes the affair has set off a debate in Spanish society even though the story has faded from the headlines – for now.
“This has changed things. The way Rubiales behaved demonstrated the feeling he had of impunity,” Torrente said.
“Men have changed their behaviour, maybe not because they are convinced they should, but because they are more aware of what is acceptable.”
She added: “You cannot change the system from one day to another. But people understand that this should not have happened.
“This has generated debate in families. This guy [Rubiales] has been taken down over a kiss? But the kiss was the tip of the iceberg. There are many men and women who saw this in a different way. There are some men who still believe that women are there to be tricked,” Ms Torrente said.
Analysts believe that #SeAcabo has prompted a greater debate and gender relations in the workplace. Mariam Martínez-Bazcuñán, a political lecturer at the Autonomous University of Madrid who specialises in feminist studies, believes the legal case is not the real test for Spanish society.
“It was a storm, a Spanish #MeToo, a #SeAcabo moment. But the point of this battle is not just on juridical grounds [but also] the social point about the abuse of power,” she said.
“The point is not to look just at whether this was consensual but the hierarchical labour relationship between the two of them. There is a labour hierarchical relationship which was breached by the alleged abuser,” she added.
