Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso provided testimony at the National Court of Spain regarding the incident in which the then-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, kissed her on the stage of the Olympic Stadium in Sydney during the celebration of Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup.
Portions of her testimony were featured on the Spanish channel Telecinco. Jenni reiterated that Rubiales kissed her on the mouth without her consent and expressed her sadness over the ongoing impact of the incident.
She stated, “I don’t deserve to be going through all of this. It has been very difficult not being able to leave my home; I had to leave Madrid to avoid this pressure. Why should I be crying at home when I didn’t do anything?” The Spanish national team player added that she felt abandoned by the federation.
She also shared how she felt when the kiss happened, explaining that she didn’t know how to react because she didn’t expect such an action from the official. Jenni said, “How could I expect that in that setting, during a World Cup final? I greeted the queen [of Spain], hugged her daughter, and next was Rubiales. The first thing I remember saying when I hugged him was that we had won. The only thing I remember after that is his hands on my head and the kiss on the mouth. I was in shock.”
She detailed that, due to the adrenaline of the moment and her trusting relationship with Rubiales, she didn’t expect this situation, regardless of how spontaneous it may have been.
Jenni Hermoso reported that she realized something was amiss in the locker room when she was informed that the kiss was being widely discussed. She told her teammates, “I know how it happened, and it wasn’t right. I made an effort to continue celebrating with my teammates. I didn’t want to regret not enjoying that moment.”
The player also confirmed, in front of the Spanish judicial system, the pressure she faced to downplay the incident, corroborating what her national team colleagues Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes, and Misa Rodríguez had reported in their previous testimonies.
She revealed that Rubiales approached her during the return flight to Spain and asked her to record a video in Doha, Qatar, to help him as he was being accused of harassment and to console his two crying daughters.
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