'I’ve kissed many footballers'- Luis Rubiales defends himself in court amid sexual assault trial

Former Spanish football federation boss Luis Rubiales defends his controversial World Cup kiss, insisting it was consensual and part of football celebrations.

Shocking details emerged in the Spanish high court on Tuesday as former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales defended himself against allegations of sexual assault and coercion.

Rubiales, 47, is on trial for allegedly kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso without consent after the national team’s Women’s World Cup final victory over England on August 20, 2023.

Rubiales, along with three former RFEF employees—ex-coach Jorge Vilda, former Spain sporting director Albert Luque, and ex-marketing director Ruben Rivera—is accused of pressuring Hermoso to publicly support his claim that the kiss was consensual. All four deny any wrongdoing.

“I’ve kissed many footballers,” Rubiales stated during his testimony as per New York Times.

“And if some of them had missed a penalty, and we had won a World Cup, it would have been a possibility. That didn’t happen with the men’s team. It’s hypothetical.”

The former RFEF president insisted that the moment of celebration was extraordinary, explaining that he had shared similar gestures with players in the past.

 “You don’t win a World Cup every day,” he told prosecutor Marta Durantez.

“It’s obvious that you can’t apply what normally happens; it was a completely extraordinary day. When I see my daughters, I don’t give them a little kiss, but I do at New Year or when they pass all their exams.”

During her testimony last week, Hermoso provided a starkly different version of events, stating that Rubiales did not seek her consent before grabbing her head and kissing her. However, Rubiales claimed otherwise in court, saying, “I asked her if I could give her a little kiss, and she said OK. That’s what happened.”

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When questioned about whether he would have kissed a male player under similar circumstances, Rubiales responded, “It depends on the player, if I have a friendship or not with them. In the women’s team, I had a very close friendship with four or five players, one of which was Jenni Hermoso.”

The court also examined claims that Rubiales and his co-defendants coerced Hermoso into backing his version of events. 

The prosecution argues that pressure was exerted on the Spanish forward to appear in a video with Rubiales during the team’s flight home. Hermoso testified that she was subjected to emotional distress, even crying on the plane as she resisted demands to publicly state that the kiss had been consensual.

Rubiales, however, denied applying any pressure. “I told her it would be a good idea to say together what she had already said in her radio interview. She told me no, that she had already talked about it, and that she just wanted to celebrate the World Cup. Seeing that she didn’t want to, I did the video on my own.”

The court also heard from David Murillo of ASOGRA (Association of Deaf People in Granada), who testified after analyzing a short TikTok video of the incident.

Murillo claimed to have read Rubiales’ lips and determined that he asked, “Can I give you a little kiss?” before the act. Prosecutors, however, challenged this interpretation, highlighting inconsistencies in Rubiales’ previous statements regarding whether he used the word “peck” or “little kiss.”

Despite mounting scrutiny, Rubiales maintained that he held no authority over Hermoso or any national team players. “I’m the RFEF president, so I’m the boss of the federation staff,” he said.

“But the players are not staff, they are just called up for squads. The coach is the players’ superior, they can pick the team they want.”

With his former allies still set to testify, the case is far from over, and the football world watches closely as the legal battle unfolds.