Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 6, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleSpanish prosecutor requests retrial for Luis Rubiales over a non-consensual kiss with Jenni Hermoso, sparking national debate.
MADRID (Reuters) -A Spanish prosecutor has asked for a retrial after the High Court sentence convicting the former head of the country's soccer federation, Luis Rubiales, for kissing national team player Jenni Hermoso without her consent, the prosecutor's office said on Thursday.
Last month, the court found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault and fined him over 10,000 euros ($10,798) in a case that sparked a nationwide furore.
The ruling also acquitted him and three co-defendants of a charge of coercion. The prosecution had sought 2-1/2 years' prison for the former soccer federation chief.
In the appeal seen by Reuters, prosecutor Marta Durantez requested the trial be repeated, arguing that evidence and many of her questions were not admitted.
She said the ruling generated "a constitutionally relevant material defencelessness, which affects the right to effective judicial protection" and asked for a different judge to retry the case.
"The judge's conduct throughout the hearing compromised, in our opinion, at the very least the appearance of impartiality," she wrote.
Given that the judge ruled there had been sexual assault, Rubiales should have been sentenced to a year in prison, Durantez added - the penalty she had requested for that charge.
She also said the fine and the additional 3,000 euros in compensation awarded to Hermoso were very low.
"This fine, taking into account the circumstances of the case, is offensive to the victim and to the victims of sexual assault. Undoubtedly a bad precedent," Durantez said.
Rubiales and Hermoso have said they will appeal the ruling.
The kiss at the 2023 World Cup awards ceremony in Sydney provoked a heated debate in Spain about sexism in women's football and wider Spanish society, prompting a movement similar to the "Me Too" campaign on social media.
The ensuing scandal overshadowed Spain's victory in the tournament.
($1 = 0.9261 euros)
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo and David Latona; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault and fined over 10,000 euros in a case that generated significant public outcry.
Prosecutor Marta Durantez requested a retrial, arguing that evidence and many of her questions were not admitted during the initial trial.
The ruling sparked a heated debate in Spain about sexism in women's football and broader societal issues, reminiscent of the 'Me Too' movement.
Both Rubiales and Hermoso have indicated that they will appeal the ruling.
Durantez criticized the fine and compensation awarded to Hermoso as being very low, calling it offensive to victims of sexual assault.
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