Former Spanish soccer chief Luis Rubiales has informed a courtroom that he was “absolutely sure” participant Jenni Hermoso consented to him kissing her.
Rubiales is on trial in Madrid accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the lips after Spain received the Girls’s World Cup in Sydney in August 2023.
Giving proof immediately, he informed the courtroom that he requested Ms Hermoso if he may kiss her earlier than it occurred.
Picture:
Luis Rubiales talking at his trial in Madrid
“When Jenny came up to me, she kind of made a face. We’ve known each other for a long time. Obviously, the kiss was because we became champions.
“She’d missed a penalty and with all the stress in the course of the sport, I mentioned, ‘neglect in regards to the penalty – we’re champions and that is right down to you. With out you, we would not have achieved it’.
“And she hugged me very, very hard just below my armpits and lifted me off the ground.
“After I type of hit the bottom once more, I mentioned, ‘can you may I provide you with a kiss?’ and she or he mentioned, ‘okay’,” he claimed.
He additionally mentioned that the “law of physics” meant that he couldn’t be “on top of her” in the course of the kiss, because the prosecution framed the incident.
“My feet come off the ground, you’ll see that. I do what I can to not fall over and lose my balance. Anybody, who knows anything about the law of physics knows that, you have to bend your knees in order to take off the ground,” he mentioned.
Rubiales additionally denied that he drafted an announcement in regards to the kiss, however mentioned he did ask Ms Hermoso to collectively launch an announcement in regards to the kiss – however she refused.
He mentioned he did apologise to Ms Hermoso for the kiss within the days after and requested for forgiveness, saying he “got carried away by the emotion and euphoria”.
The 47-year-old can also be charged with trying to coerce Ms Hermoso – with the assistance of three different former soccer federation officers – into publicly saying the kiss was consensual.
He denies the fees.
The following scandal after the kiss eclipsed Spain’s first ladies’s World Cup victory and proved a tipping level for efforts by Spain’s feminine gamers to show sexism and obtain parity with male counterparts.
Please refresh the web page for the fullest model.
