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Spanish prosecutors want Rubiales jailed for 2.5 years for World Cup kiss

Spanish prosecutors are seeking two-and-a-half years jail for disgraced ex-football chief Luis Rubiales who is facing trial for kissing Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips against her will, court documents showed Wednesday

Spanish prosecutors want Rubiales jailed for 2.5 years for World Cup kiss
Luis Rubiales delivers a speech in August 2023. Photo: Eidan RUBIO/RFEF/AFP.

Prosecutors also want Rubiales, who has been charged with sexual assault and coercion, to pay at least €50,000 ($54,000) in compensation to Hermoso, they wrote in a document sent to Spain’s Audiencia Nacional court, a copy of which was seen by AFP.

During the incident, which took place on August 20 after Spain beat England to win the Women’s World Cup final in Australia, Rubiales held Hermoso’s head in both hands and forcibly kissed her on the lips.

The kiss took place live in front of the world’s cameras, provoking widespread outrage and prompting his suspension by world football governing body FIFA.  At the time, Rubiales brushed it off as “a consensual” peck on the lips, but Hermoso, 33, said it was not.

READ ALSO: Death of the Iberian macho: What the Rubiales kiss uproar says about Spain

Under Spanish law, a non-consensual kiss can be classed as sexual assault — a criminal category that groups all types of sexual violence.

Rubiales “grabbed the player’s head with both hands, and surprisingly and without consent or the player’s acceptance, he kissed her on the lips,” they wrote.

After realising the kiss could have “personal and professional consequences” with his suspension by FIFA on August 26, Rubiales and his entourage began to exert “constant pressure” on Hermoso so that she “publicly justify” the kiss as consensual.

PROFILE: Who is Spain’s disgraced football chief Luis Rubiales?

The pressure caused her “anxiety and intense stress” for several months, they wrote.

Prosecutors requested that the 46-year-old face a year behind bars for the kiss, and 18 months jail for the charge of coercion.

Three of his former associates are also being tried for putting pressure on Hermoso: former women’s coach Jorge Vilda, men’s team director Albert Luque and RFEF marketing boss Ruben Rivera.

In terms of compensation, prosecutors want Rubiales to pay Hermoso €50,000 for the kiss and have said that he and the three other defendants jointly pay her 50,000 euros for the coercion charge.

It was not immediately clear whether the amount would be evenly split.

Hermoso filed a lawsuit against Rubiales in September, telling the judge she had come under pressure to defend him both on the flight back from Australia and on a subsequent team holiday to Ibiza in the Balearic Islands.

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SPORT

Spain to send over 300 police to help secure Paris Olympics

Spain said Thursday it will send 313 police officers to Paris to bolster security for this summer's Olympic Games as France remains on high alert following attack threats.

Spain to send over 300 police to help secure Paris Olympics

The officers, including bomb deactivation experts and sniffer dog teams, will be deployed in response to a request from France for foreign assistance with Games security, the Spanish interior ministry said in a statement.

France, which will host the games from July 26th to August 11th, has raised its security alert to the highest level after the deadly attack at a Moscow concert hall in March. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the massacre.

The Spanish police will stay in Paris for the Paralympics which will be held from August 28th to September 8th, the statement added.

The French capital has been repeatedly hit by deadly attacks by Islamic extremists and security concerns are notably high for the opening ceremony of the Games, which will involve boats along the Seine River and huge crowds watching from the embankments.

Nearly 45,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilised in the Paris region for the event. During the games themselves, 18,000 French military troops will be deployed, including 3,000 responsible for aerial surveillance – in addition to about 35,000 police and gendarmes.

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