Former Spanish football Chief Luis Rubiales told a Spanish Court on Tuesday he was “absolutely sure” that player Jenni Hermoso consented to him kissing her, Sky News reported.
Rubiales is on trial in Madrid for sexual assault, accused of kissing Hermoso on the lips after Spain made a historic win of the Women’s World Cup in Sydney in August 2023.
Testifying in court, he said he asked Hermoso for permission before the kiss.
“When Jenni came up to me, she made a face. We’ve known each other for a long time. The kiss happened because we became champions,” Rubiales said.
He claimed Hermoso hugged him tightly and lifted him off the ground before he asked, “Can I give you a kiss?” He claimed that she then replied, “Okay.”
Rubiales also disputed the prosecution’s framing of the incident, saying “the law of physics” made it impossible for him to be “on top of her” during the kiss.
“My feet came off the ground. Anybody who knows anything about physics knows you have to bend your knees to take off,” he said.
He denied drafting a statement about the kiss but admitted asking Hermoso to jointly release a statement, which she refused. He said he later apologized to her, saying he “got carried away by emotion and euphoria.”
The 47-year-old is also accused of attempting to coerce Hermoso, along with three former Spanish soccer federation officials, into publicly stating the kiss was consensual.
Rubiales denies all charges.
The scandal overshadowed Spain’s first Women’s World Cup victory and became a tipping point for female players’ demands for gender equality in Spanish football.