2023-09-11 19:10:55
This Monday, the National Court accepted for processing the complaint presented by the Prosecutor’s Office against Luis Rubiales, already former president of the Spanish Football Federation (FEF), for a crime of sexual assault and another of coercion against Jenni Hermoso, as a result of her kiss in the mouth and his subsequent pressure on the world champion soccer player. Criminal proceedings are now open against Rubiales, who is exposed to a sentence of between one and four years in prison, although the minimum prison sentence can be replaced by a fine.
Judge Francisco de Jorge, instructor of the National Court, has already begun to collect videos of the scandal starring Rubiales during the women’s World Cup medal ceremony, whose final was held in Sydney on August 20. Before summoning Rubiales as the defendant and Jenni Hermoso as the victim, as the Prosecutor’s Office requested last Friday, the magistrate has decided, “for now”, to collect images of the moment of the kiss.
The magistrate has also requested the controversial video recorded on the bus of the Spanish team after the conquest of the world title on August 20. On the bus, Jenni Hermoso and her companions did not attach importance to the fact at first and joked about Rubiales’ attitude towards the Madrid soccer player.
The head of the Central Court of Instruction number 1 of the National Court has requested the Judicial Police to collect from RTVE “the video or videos that they have in their files, which show the moment from all angles in which the defendant kisses the complainant”, as well as “the minutes immediately before and after the event”. Also the video of the celebration in the locker room that El País has posted on the internet, the video “of the moments of the kiss and any other related to these events” published by the sports newspaper As, and the aforementioned celebration on the bus to The vanguard.
In the order signed by Judge Francisco de Jorge, the magistrate has admitted the complaint of the Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court “for the alleged commission of a crime of sexual assault and a crime of coercion”, the latter sanctioned with a sentence of between six months and three years in prison. The Prosecutor’s Office considers that Rubiales committed both crimes punishable by prison in the Penal Code, the first of them and more serious, for kissing the soccer player on the mouth, while “he grabbed Jenni Hermoso’s head with both hands without the consent of the latter.
The alleged crime of coercion was committed by Rubiales because, as reflected by the Prosecutor’s Office in its complaint, immediately after the kiss, “the player, as well as her closest environment (family and friends), suffered constant and repeated pressure from Mr. Rubiales and his professional environment. As highlighted by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the leader who resigned from his post on Sunday night did so “with the purpose of publicly justifying and approving the act committed against his will; suffering Jenni Hermoso a situation of harassment, against the development of her life in peace, tranquility and freely ».
A “true social cry”
The Court magistrate has already transferred the complaint filed last Friday by the Prosecutor’s Office against Rubiales, after Jenni Hermoso’s formal complaint, “for full knowledge of the facts charged and effective exercise of the right of defense with all the procedural guarantees ». When Rubiales presented his resignation to the presidency of the FEF on Sunday, he continued without regretting his attitude or making self-criticism, since he insists that his kiss with Jenni Hermoso was consensual, he considers himself the victim of a campaign of harassment and demolition and is convinced of that “the truth will prevail.” “There are de facto powers that will prevent my return,” Rubiales said on Sunday.
Before the admission of the complaint for processing was made public, the Minister of Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta, welcomed Rubiales’s farewell and acknowledged that “there was a true social clamor and in the structures of Spanish sport and football,” although He regretted that his resignation had come late (three weeks after the planetary scandal). “If he had resigned earlier we would all have saved ourselves some problems,” said the acting minister, who is in favor of breaking with everything that Rubiales entails and carrying out “a profound restructuring,” a new assembly of the FEF will be the one that elect the new federative president at the beginning of 2024, “although the Federation itself will have to decide.”
Javier Tebas, at the LaLiga headquarters. Photo: EFE | Video: EP
“Someday it had to happen, although I thought he was going to get his way,” reveals Tebas.
“Someday it had to happen and it has happened, although I thought he was going to get his way,” revealed this Monday the president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, in reference to the forced resignation of Luis Rubiales, for whom the former president of the FEF “Take everything to the maximum extreme without thinking about the consequences it may have.” Tebas considers that “perhaps there were more serious things that Rubiales should have fallen into,” and alluded to celebrating “after a day of work, an orgy, a paella with friends…”. “There are things that are not normal, although they were not given importance,” said the top leader of the club employers’ association, relentlessly confronted by his counterpart in the Federation.
Tebas considers that with the ‘Rubiales case’, “the damage that is being done to Spanish football is tremendous.” “It is the biggest news in digital media in history, bigger than 9/11,” admits the top leader of LaLiga, for whom “the reputational damage to sport and Spanish football is going to cost a lot.” “Argentina and Uruguay can benefit from what has happened to organize the 2030 World Cup,” he added.
For Tebas, “the worst thing about Rubiales was hiding behind the fact that he had an enemy and that it was LaLiga, the cultural vision he had against professional football.” «I do not share the values with which he has led the FEF, and forgiveness is not enough. “These things should not happen again anywhere,” he acknowledged in reference to the kiss with Jenni Hermoso and her attitude in the authorities’ box, touching her genitals next to Queen Letizia and Infanta Sofía.
With a view to the future elections for the presidency of the FEF, Tebas, who assures that he does not have “any candidate”, points out that “it must be the territorial ones that lead the way. “Those who have been with Rubiales must decide the future of the Federation and see how to manage everything,” he commented.
#National #Court #admits #complaint #Rubiales #sexual #assault #coercion