Spain's former soccer chief Rubiales says player Hermoso consented to kiss

MADRID (Reuters) - Former Spanish soccer federation boss Luis Rubiales told a court on Tuesday that player Jenni Hermoso had given her consent for him kiss her in the aftermath of the Spain women's World Cup victory in 2023.

"I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission," Rubiales told the court in Madrid where he is standing trial. "In that moment it was something completely spontaneous."

Rubiales, 47, is accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the mouth and then attempting to coerce her - with the help of three other former soccer federation officials - into publicly saying the kiss at the 2023 World Cup awards ceremony in Australia had been consensual.

He has denied the charges, insisting the kiss was consensual, while Hermoso has said it was not.

The ensuing scandal eclipsed Spain's first women's World Cup victory and proved a tipping point for efforts by Spain's female players to expose sexism and achieve parity with male counterparts.

(Reporting by David Latona and Emma Pinedo; Writing by Charlie Devereux)