Judge orders Luis Rubiales to stand trial over Hermoso’s kiss

Disgraced former RFEF president Luis Rubiales will face trial over his non-consensual kiss and alleged subsequent coercion of Spain forward Jenni Hermoso.

Rubiales forcibly kissed the player on the lips after last summer’s Women’s World Cup final in Australia and also stands accused of later trying to pressure her into publicly defending him.

Spanish reports on Wednesday evening confirmed that National Court judge Francisco de Jorge agreed to “open an oral trial” against Rubiales.

The charges of alleged coercion against ex-men’s team sporting director Albert Luque, former women’s head coach Jorge Vilda and former RFEF marketing chief Ruben Rivera will also see them go to trial.

Rubiales has also been given 24 hours to provide a €65,000 bond to face possible civil liabilities.

If found guilty, all parties could face jail time. Prosecutors have requested a two and a half year prison sentence for Rubiales, who is already banned from all football activities by FIFA until 2026, and custodial terms of 18 months each for the other three men.

RFEF has found itself in disarray in recent months. Rubiales initially refused to back down in the wake of the World Cup incident, only relinquishing his power reluctantly and still firmly refusing to accept wrongdoing. Vilda, a Rubiales crony who had been under fire for over a year due to the environment he oversaw in the women’s setup and players refusing to be called up, was eventually sacked after the World Cup but with a eulogising farewell statement from the federation.

Interim RFEF president Pedro Rocha, recently confirmed as permanent chief, faced a legal challenge in March asking for his dismissal over a number of reasons – including not following the statutes to call elections.

Even more recently there have been threats of Spain and its club sides being barred from FIFA and UEFA competitions over alleged government involvement in RFEF relating to concerns over transparency, which had followed an investigation into alleged corruption, improper management and money laundering being made public when raids were carried and arrests made.