Spain’s former football federation boss, Luis Rubiales, makes a shocking admission in court, giving a new twist to the World Cup kiss controversy.
According to Independent, a former Spanish football chief who is accused of sexual assault for kissing Jenni Hermoso after winning the 2023 World Cup, on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, claimed in court that the player “absolutely” gave him permission to kiss.
The 47-year-old told the court during the trial for sexual assault in Madrid, “I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission. In that moment it was something completely spontaneous. This was a tremendous moment for her. We were thanking each other… I asked her, 'Can I give you a little kiss?' She said, 'All right.' That’s what happened."
“I clearly made a mistake and, as president of the federation, put my foot in it. I behaved like a player celebrating a sporting triumph, as just another person in the group. I should have thought more and acted in a more institutional manner, but no way was it a crime,” he confessed.
Meanwhile, Hermoso, who testified last week, claimed that the kiss was not consensual and that the action of the chief “stained the happiest days” of her life.
For the unversed, Spain beat England in Sydney in the 2023 World Cup on August 20, 2023. During the medal presentation, Rubiales lifted Hermoso off her feet and then kissed her. The uncomfortable moment sparked a heated debate and gave momentum to a “Me Too” movement among Spanish women.
