Spain’s High Court on Thursday said it had found former football federation boss, Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent.
The court set a fine of over 10,000 euros ($10,434.00), but acquitted Rubiales of coercion.
Recall that prosecutors had sought a prison sentence for Rubiales in a case that sparked a debate in Spain about sexism in women’s football.
However, the court in a statement today, said: “The ruling bans Rubiales from going within a 200-meter (656-foot) radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year.”
Rubiales was accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the mouth in 2023.
The 47-year-old was also accused along with three other former soccer federation officials of attempting to then coerce her into saying the kiss, at the 2023 FIFA World Cup awards ceremony in Sydney, was consensual.
Rubiales eventually resigned three weeks after the scandal and was banned by FIFA for three years.
However, Hermoso had insisted she did not consent to the kiss while Rubiales denies wrongdoing and says it was consensual.