Rubiales scandal

Forced kiss counts as sexual assault!

A few months before the start of a trial against former Spanish soccer official Luis Rubiales, the country's Supreme Court has confirmed a ruling that a forced kiss constitutes sexual assault!

It is obvious that "the fleeting contact of a non-consensual kiss" constitutes a physical assault on the victim, the court stated on Tuesday.

"If this is not the case, it is sexual assault!"
Consent is crucial in such situations, it continued. "If this is not the case, it is sexual assault." An Andalusian court had previously sentenced a police officer to one year and nine months in prison after he kissed a woman in custody.

Similar behavior by the former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rubiales, made headlines around the world. Last August, after the Spanish women's national team won the World Cup, he held the head of player Jennifer Hermoso with both hands and kissed her on the mouth during the award ceremony.

Incident presented as a "consensual kiss"
His case will be heard by a court in the Spanish capital Madrid in February 2025. The public prosecutor's office is accusing Rubiales of sexual assault and is demanding two and a half years in prison. They are also requesting a further year and a half in prison because the official at the time exerted pressure on the player following the incident.

Rubiales had described the incident as a "consensual kiss", which Hermoso rejected. His behavior caused outrage both in Spain and abroad and ultimately forced Rubiales to resign.