The Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso has told a court that “one of the happiest moments” of her life was ruined when the then president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, grabbed her and kissed her on the lips after Spain’s World Cup win in August 2023.
Rubiales, 47, is accused of sexual assault as well as coercion over allegations that he tried to pressure Hermoso into declaring that the kiss, which took place shortly after Spain’s women’s team triumphed in Sydney, was consensual. He has maintained that he sought her permission for the kiss.
