International deployment in response to Rubiales' declaration as a defendant: BBC, CNN…
The former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales is summoned to testify as a defendant at 12:00 this Friday in the National Court for the kiss he gave to soccer player Jennifer Hermoso at the World Cup trophy presentation. Sydney (Australia). 20 days after the RFEF assembly in which his co-religionists surrounded him with applause, Rubiales will have to give explanations before a judge and, according to the National Court, dozens of international media have been interested in the appearance: The New York Times, CNN, BBC, Associated Press, France-Presse, Bloomberg, Tass Russian News Agency, Sky Sports….
Just 450 meters away from the court, at the headquarters of the State Attorney General's Office, the phones have not stopped ringing either..
No legal news has attracted such interest at an international level throughout 2023 and, last Tuesday, Rubiales himself gave his first interview to English journalist Piers Morgan: “It was a joint, mutual act. He caught me in the air and, when we came down, we were very excited. There was no sexual intention or connotation. “I just appreciate”. This version allows her to discard the three requirements on which the crime of sexual assault is based: that the kiss represented an act against Hermoso's freedom as it was not consented by her, that it occurred against her sexual freedom and that Rubiales was aware of who was performing a non-consensual sexual act.
The soccer player denies this story and has already reported the facts to highlight that the kiss was not consensual, which was necessary so that the Prosecutor's Office could take the step of requesting her indictment for assault.. The magistrate heard the complaint on Monday and has requested from RTVE the videos of the moment of the kiss from all angles, of the minutes before and after and of the celebration both in the locker room and on the bus.. It has also requested that information be collected from Australia on the classification of crimes against sexual freedom in its criminal regulations.. According to legal sources, it is necessary that the requirement of double criminality be met, that is, that the act is susceptible to being punished in both countries..
Regarding the second crime included in the complaint, that of coercion, the Prosecutor's Office points to what happened 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, with the aim of publicly justifying and approving the act committed against his will; Ms. Jennifer suffering a situation of harassment, against the development of her life in peace, tranquility and freely”.
Rubiales also took advantage of his interview with Morgan to deny this accusation and assure that he never pressured the soccer player to appear with him in the apology video: “I have never pressured anyone in anything.”. I categorically deny it. “I have not pressured or sent anyone to pressure Jenni.”. This second line of investigation in turn opens the door to charging other people, but in response to the reference that the Prosecutor's Office makes to his “professional environment”, he wanted to rule out a specific person before the English journalist: “Jorge Vilda [the “Already former coach] he has not pressured anyone, I know him”.
Dozens of cameras and microphones will be waiting for him this Friday at the doors of the National Court to find out if he maintains the same version, but also to find out the questions that the prosecutor and the magistrate have asked him.. Rubiales has crossed borders and, from now on, the focus will be on criminal proceedings.