A Spanish judge has recommended that former football federation president Luis Rubiales face trial over the women’s World Cup kiss involving captain Jenni Hermoso.
Mr. Rubiales embraced Ms. Hermoso and kissed her during the presentation following Spain’s victory in Australia.
She asserted that the kiss was “not consensual,” a claim disputed by Mr. Rubiales.
A judge has determined that there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.
During a hearing in Madrid, the judge characterized the kiss as “not consensual and… a unilateral and surprising initiative,” according to a statement from the court cited by the Reuters news agency.
Prosecutors had previously charged Mr. Rubiales with sexual assault and coercion.
The penalties for such a kiss range from a fine to four years in prison.
The incident has implicated several Spanish football executives, including Ms. Hermoso’s former coach, a former marketing manager, and the sports director of the men’s team.
Jorge Vilda, Rubén Rivera, and Albert Luque are accused of pressuring Ms. Hermoso to publicly assert that the kiss was consensual.
The judge in Madrid has stated that the trio should also face trial.
Attorneys involved in the proceedings now have 10 days to formally request a trial before a court.
Ms. Hermoso, Spain’s leading scorer, provided testimony before the court investigating her allegation for over two-and-a-half hours earlier in January.
According to Spanish media, she asserted that the kiss was “unexpected and at no time consensual.”
A statement issued shortly after the final, attributed to Ms. Hermoso, had indicated that the kiss had been consensual. However, she later alleged being pressured by officials of the Spanish Football Federation to endorse the statement.
The kiss occurred during the medal ceremony in Sydney on 20 August last year, following Spain’s victory over England.
Mr. Rubiales has consistently maintained that the kiss was a “consensual peck,” but following the incident, he was compelled to resign as president of the Spanish Football Federation.
The episode sparked widespread global outrage at sexism at the highest levels of women’s sports.
