A kiss that was supposed to be a fleeting moment has turned into a landmark case for women’s rights in sports.
Jennifer Hermoso, the Spanish Women’s World Cup winner, testified on 3 February at the trial of former football federation president Luis Rubiales, firmly stating that she never consented to the kiss that caused national uproar, reports major news outlets covering the case.
“I knew I was being kissed by my boss and that should not happen in any social or work environment,” she was reported as saying.
“I think it was a moment that tainted one of the happiest days of my life,” the 34-year-old told Madrid’s High Court, Spain.
The kiss, which shook the football community at the 2023 World Cup awards ceremony in Australia, was broadcasted to millions of viewers and sparked widespread criticism over sexism in sports.
Rubiales, 47, faces charges of sexual assault and coercion.
He is accused of pressuring Hermoso with the help of three men, into publicly stating the kiss was consensual.
Despite apologising after the incident, Rubiales denied the charges, claiming the kiss was mutual and he was being unfairly targeted.
Hermoso testified that she never agreed to the kiss, recalling how Rubiales grabbed her by the ears before kissing her on the mouth.
The case has become a symbol of how male-dominated institutions protect their own, as seen in the immediate attempts to pressure Hermoso into issuing a statement saying the kiss was mutual.
Pressure began immediately after the World Cup.
On the flight back to Spain, Rubiales approached her in the bathroom, asking her to record a video with him to address the backlash.
“I said no, that I was not going to do anything, that I was not the cause of this,” Hermoso told the court, adding that Rubiales insisted he would speak to her family.
She asked him to leave them out of it.
Hermoso later faced further intense media scrutiny and even death threats, when she reached Spain.
“People waiting for me outside, people following me, people taking photos of me while I had breakfast with my mother,” she recalled.
Rubiales and his co-defendants are due to testify starting 12 February.
The prosecution is seeking a two and a half year prison sentence for Rubiales, following recent changes in Spanish law that classify non-consensual kisses as sexual assault.
The case has sparked a wider conversation on power dynamics and the mistreatment of women in sports, hailing Hermoso as a symbol of resilience in the face of adversity.
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