Luis Rubiales has been restrain not to be seen go within 500 meters around Jenni Hermoso be InTouch with her on his first appearance in court

Restraining Order Issued for Luis Rubiales Amid Allegations

Luis Rubiales Faces Legal Action Luis Rubiales, aged 46, has made his initial court appearance in Madrid’s Audiencia Nacional court following allegations of forcibly kissing women’s World Cup player Jenni Hermoso. During this appearance, Rubiales faced charges of sexual assault and coercion, which were brought against him by Hermoso. The prosecutor leading the case stated that Rubiales denied these allegations.

Restraining Order Imposed In light of the ongoing investigation, the court has issued a restraining order, mandating that Rubiales must not approach Jenni Hermoso within a 500-meter radius or contact her through any means. This restraining order is intended to remain in effect during the investigation.

Rubiales’ Court Appearance Appearing in a navy suit and white shirt, Rubiales remained silent as he entered the courthouse alongside his lawyer. He proceeded to testify before Judge Francisco de Jorge, who is overseeing the investigation into the alleged kiss. It was also confirmed that Jenni Hermoso would be called to testify at a later date.

Formal Accusations and Denials Spanish state prosecutors officially charged Rubiales last week with sexual assault and coercion, based on Hermoso’s account that he pressured her to publicly defend him immediately after the incident in question. During the hour-long closed hearing, Rubiales denied both accusations.

The Controversial Kiss The controversy arose when Rubiales, who was the head of Spain’s RFEF football federation at the time, kissed Hermoso on the lips in front of spectators after Spain’s victory over England in the World Cup final on August 20. While Rubiales claimed the kiss was consensual, Hermoso repeatedly denied this, describing the experience as an assault.

Legal Implications Under recent reforms to the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, encompassing various forms of sexual violence. Judge Francisco de Jorge is currently conducting a preliminary investigation into the allegations against Rubiales and will subsequently determine whether the case should proceed to trial. If found guilty of sexual assault, Rubiales could face penalties ranging from fines to a maximum of four years in prison, according to sources at the public prosecutors’ office.

Ongoing Pressure and Resignation Prosecutors included the charge of coercion based on Hermoso’s statement that she and her associates had faced sustained pressure from Luis Rubiales and his professional circle to justify and support his actions. The global attention garnered by the incident overshadowed the celebrations of Spain’s World Cup champions.

Resignation and Defense After initially refusing to resign over the controversy, Rubiales stepped down five days before his court appearance but continued to assert that the kiss was consensual in a television interview with Piers Morgan. He attributed the uproar to a misunderstanding of Latin culture and maintained that he would have behaved similarly towards a male player.

Future of the National Team As the legal proceedings unfold, new coach Montse Tome, the first woman to lead the team, is set to announce her squad for UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland. Her task includes convincing the 23 world champions to represent the national team once again, as several players had previously indicated they would not do so without significant changes within the federation.

Potential Progress Although the players have not disclosed their plans following Rubiales’ resignation, the situation has evolved since the RFEF dismissed their controversial coach Jorge Vilda, appointed Tome as his successor, and pledged further internal reforms. Rafael del Amo, head of the RFEF’s women’s football committee, expressed optimism that discussions would lead to progress in resolving the situation.