Luis Rubiales was convicted in February for sexual assault for having kissed the Spanish football star Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth after the World Championship final in 2023. The sentence was a fine of 10,800 euros (approximately 120,000 kronor).
Both Hermoso and Rubiales have stated that they intend to appeal the verdict, and now the prosecution is doing the same.
Demanding imprisonment
In addition, the prosecutors are requesting that the trial be declared invalid and retried with a new judge who is not biased, according to the authorities' appeal, as reported by the news agency AFP.
This is partly due to the fact that a prosecutor was prevented by the judge from asking certain questions during the trial and that certain evidence was disregarded, it is claimed.
The prosecutors are also reiterating that they believe Rubiales should be sentenced to two and a half years in prison – one year for sexual assault for the kiss and an additional one and a half years for unlawful coercion, according to Spanish media reports.
Rubiales was acquitted of the charge of unlawful coercion, which allegedly involved the 47-year-old putting pressure on Hermoso and her family on several occasions and in several ways after the so-called scandalous kiss.
In addition to the fine, Rubiales was also sentenced to a one-year contact ban. He is not allowed to communicate with the player or be within a 200-meter radius of Hermoso.
New #MeToo wave
"This will ultimately create an important precedent in a social environment where much remains to be done," Hermoso wrote on Instagram a few days after the court in San Fernando de Henares outside Madrid announced the verdict.
The incident led to a new #MeToo wave in Spain. Luis Rubiales tried to cling to his position as chairman, but eventually resigned in early September 2023. Later in the fall, Rubiales was banned from all football-related activities for three years by FIFA (International Football Federation). Rubiales appealed the ban, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected it.
