Spanish Player Hermoso Denies Consent in World Cup Kiss

Jenni Hermoso, a Spanish footballer and World Cup winner, has given testimony in a Madrid court stating that a kiss from former football federation president Luis Rubiales was not consensual. She alleges that Rubiales grabbed her by the head and kissed her on the lips after the World Cup final last year. A judge will now decide whether Rubiales should face trial for sexual assault and coercion. Hermoso told reporters that she trusts the justice system to handle the matter. Rubiales denies the allegations. Hermoso, who is Spain's leading scorer, testified for around two and a half hours and confirmed that the kiss was unexpected and non-consensual. Her testimony has reiterated her previous statements made to prosecutors several months ago. The court is reviewing evidence, including CCTV footage, to determine if her criminal complaint should proceed to trial. The incident occurred during the medal ceremony following Spain's victory over England in Sydney on August 20th last year. Initial reports attributed a statement to Hermoso indicating that the kiss was consensual, but she later claimed that Spanish football federation officials pressured her to endorse the statement. Under Spanish law, an unwanted kiss can be considered a form of sexual assault. Rubiales resigned as president of the Spanish football federation following the incident and has insisted that the kiss was a consensual peck. An investigation was initiated by prosecutors, and Rubiales was prohibited by a judge from being within 200m of Hermoso. In leaked testimony to prosecutors, Hermoso expressed feeling disrespected and emphasized that she did not engage in any behavior to invite the situation. She questioned how she could have expected such an incident to occur during a medal ceremony at a World Cup final. Hermoso, aged 33, recently announced her transfer from Pachuca in Mexico to Tigres UANL, the country's most successful women's team.