Rubiales found guilty of sexual assault after kissing Hermoso without consent

Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexually assaulting forward Jenni Hermoso.

The Audiencia Nacional court in Spain said it had imposed an 18-month fine equating to €20 a day on Rubiales, who it found had kissed Hermoso without her consent during the medal ceremony after Spain won the Women's World Cup in 2023.

The ruling also prohibits Rubiales from going within 200 metres of Hermoso or communicating with her for one year.

Rubiales was acquitted of trying to coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual. Former Spanish national team coach Jorge Vilda was also found not guilty of coercion, along with other Spanish federation staff members at the time, Albert Luque and Ruben Rivera.

Rubiales was banned for three years from all football activity in October 2023 over his conduct at the World Cup final in Sydney, which was upheld on appeal in January 2024.

FIFA said at the time the appeal was upheld: "FIFA reiterates its absolute commitment to respecting and protecting the integrity of all people and ensuring that the basic rules of decent conduct are upheld."

Prosecutors had requested a custodial sentence of two-and-a-half years for Rubiales - one year for the kiss and 18 months for coercion - the court said in a statement confirming the verdict reached by Judge Jose Manuel Clemente Fernandez-Prieto.

The ruling of this court can be appealed against before the Criminal Division of the National Court.

'Verdict is a landmark moment'

Sky News' Rob Harris:

"It's huge in Spain and also represents a culture shift in the fact women's football is top of the agenda in Spain.

"This incident has been heavily scrutinised. There were dozens of crews outside, which was notable as well because this was a live televised court broadcast across Spain. Outside, there was a huge scrum around Rubiales and reporters attempting to get questions from him.

"It has really shone a focus on the inequalities in Spanish women's football already in the year before this World Cup. Many players had refused to play for the national side over concerns and disagreements about the treatment they were receiving from Jorge Vilda.

"He left in the fallout from this, he backed Rubiales and is now the head coach of the women's team in Morocco.

"Certainly for Spain, it's led to them asking some deeper questions - not only about football but also wider society - about misogyny and sexism. In terms of this verdict, it's quite a landmark moment.

"There is an appeal process. For Rubiales being cleared of coercion, it's something which was being scrutinised quite heavily during the trial. The statements put out in Hermoso's name after the final and claims on the plane back to Madrid that Rubiales attempted to get her to film a video before eventually he filmed one himself in Doha.

"There was that heavy focus on how much she was put under pressure to downplay the incident and it was even being looked at various things in the dressing room about why she was smiling and enjoying herself.

"She had to say she was crying inside and not wanting to take away from the celebrations, winning a Women's World Cup for the first time.

"Rubiales is already serving a three-year ban which was imposed by FIFA in 2023. It's a huge downfall for him, from one of the most senior people in football and a senior vice-president at UEFA, head of the Spanish federation too."

Bronze: Spain players are brave for fighting for change

England defender Lucy Bronze, who played for Barcelona at the time of the World Cup, hailed Hermoso and her Spain team-mates for "standing up for change".

Speaking before the verdict, Bronze said: "It's been incredible that the players have had to go through that. Not only winning the World Cup and the media outside of it but they are in the court case and they are speaking out.

"It's incredibly brave of the individuals and the team involved. They are fighting for change - not just within the court case - but they are fighting for change in their federation. It's amazing.

"As an England team, we've made changes in our federation - not at the same extent or for the same reason - but we stand by the Spanish players. As a team, we wish them all the best and want them to get what they deserve.

"We want them to just enjoy their football. Having been there last year at Barcelona and watching all the players go through the ordeals after the World Cup, [it] was challenging off the pitch for them. It would be nice for them to get back to focusing on their football because they are incredible people and unbelievable players."