Jenni Hermoso files legal complaint against Luis Rubiales over kiss

Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso has filed a criminal complaint accusing Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish football federation, of sexual assault following the unsolicited kiss he gave her after the Women’s World Cup final.

Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips after Spain’s World Cup final win, which she says was not consensual. Rubiales claims the kiss was “mutual and “consensual”, but has been suspended by football’s world governing body FIFA. The complaint means the 46-year-old could face criminal charges.

Spanish prosecutors opened a preliminary sex abuse investigation into Rubiales on August 29. The Prosecutor’s Office said that it opened the investigation because “the sexual act was not consented.”

The prosecutor’s office in Madrid said that, according to a sexual consent law passed last year, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty. The new law eliminated the difference between “sexual harassment” and “sexual assault,” sanctioning any unconsented sexual act.

The Sports Administrative Court (TAD) in Spain has already ruled that Rubiales’ action was “serious” but not “very serious”.

The kiss has had a widespread impact, quickly turning Spain’s national celebration of a first-time title into a serious conversation about the country’s deeply rooted patriarchal norms.

Spain’s government, players’ unions, players, and many citizens have come out in support of Hermoso. Rubiales, meanwhile, has become a soccer outcast even while he refuses to resign.

Jenni Hermoso, who plays as both a forward and an attacking midfielder, is a key member of Spain’s roster during its World Cup run, taking home the Silver Ball for second-best player in the tournament behind teammate Aitana Bonmatí. Hermoso currently plays for Mexican club Pachuca.