Luis Rubiales has entered a
Madrid court to answer a criminal complaint over kissing Spanish player Jenni
Hermoso, days after resigning as head of Spain's football federation.
He said nothing as he
walked into the national court to face accusations of sexual assault and
coercion.
Mr Rubiales, 46, insists he
had the footballer's consent as she celebrated Spain winning the Women's World
Cup.
The court will decide
whether the case goes to trial.
Spanish state prosecutors
have formally lodged a criminal complaint against the former president of the Football Federation (RFEF), which will be heard by Judge Francisco de Jorge.
Spain won the Women's World
Cup in Australia on 20 August, but the team's victory has been overshadowed
ever since by Mr. Rubiales's actions during the celebrations after the final
whistle.
He has maintained that when
he held her head in his hands and kissed her on the lips it was mutual and
consensual. Mr Rubiales eventually resigned on Sunday as president of the
federation, declaring: "I have faith in the truth and I will do everything
in my power so that it prevails."
Hermoso, 33, says that the
kiss was not consensual. Prosecutors submitted her initial complaint of sexual
assault and added one of coercion, arguing that he had put pressure on the
Spain forward to come to his defense amid uproar in the days after the kiss.
Spain's left-wing
government reformed laws on consent in the past two years after a notorious gang rape case in 2016 that led to five men being cleared of rape.
Under the so-called
"Only Yes is Yes" law, Mr. Rubiales could face a fine or even a jail
sentence if the case goes to trial and he is found guilty of sexual assault.
The judge will decide whether
the case goes to trial after examining a series of videos from before, during, and after the ceremony.
He has asked to see the
moment of the kiss "from all angles".
The judge has also asked
for a video of the celebration in the dressing room and from the team bus as
the team left the stadium in Sydney.
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