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Luis Rubiales, convicted for kissing Jenni Hermoso after Spain’s 2023 Women’s World Cup win, claims innocence and calls the case a far-left conspiracy, vowing to appeal.
Luis Rubiales’ infamous kiss of Jenni Hermoso after the 2023 FIFA WWC (X)
Former Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales, convicted of sexual assault for forcibly kissing footballer Jenni Hermoso after Spain’s 2023 Women’s World Cup triumph, has once again proclaimed his innocence — this time calling the case a “far-left conspiracy” against him.
Appearing on Spanish TV show The Chiringuito on Tuesday night, Rubiales defended his actions during the now-infamous medal ceremony in Sydney, insisting the kiss was “consensual.”
“As president, I should have behaved more coolly, more institutionally,” Rubiales admitted. “But no, I do not apologise to Jenni Hermoso because I asked her if I could kiss her, and she said ‘okay.’”
In May, Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault under Spain’s updated penal code, which classifies any non-consensual kiss as sexual violence. He was fined 10,800 euros ($12,500) and banned from football-related activity for three years. His lawyer confirmed in June that the 48-year-old intends to appeal the conviction at Spain’s Supreme Court after an appeals court upheld the ruling.
The scandal, which ignited global outrage and reshaped the conversation around sexism in sport, forced Rubiales to resign from his post as RFEF president and plunged Spanish football into months of upheaval.
For many, Hermoso’s decision to speak out turned her into a symbol of resistance against entrenched misogyny in sport.
Rubiales, however, maintains he is the target of a coordinated political attack. He claimed he had been the victim of a “sudden far-left movement” that created a “parallel reality” around the incident to “protect Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.”
“This has been a smokescreen,” he said. “A public assassination.”
Rubiales has even chronicled his version of events in a forthcoming book titled Killing Rubiales, which he says will expose the “lies” that destroyed his reputation.
Meanwhile, he faces separate investigations into alleged financial irregularities worth millions linked to the Spanish Super Cup’s relocation to Saudi Arabia, a deal involving a company owned by former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.
“I’ve never taken commissions,” Rubiales insisted. “On the contrary, I’ve stopped them from happening at the RFEF.”
(with AFP inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
November 12, 2025, 6:31 PM IST
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