Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, has been found guilty of kissing Jenni Hermoso without consent by the High Court in Madrid.

Rubiales has been ordered to pay a fine of over €10,000 (£8,275) to Hermoso after kissing her on the lips in the aftermath of Spain’s victory over England in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, but prosecutors were unsuccessful in their bid for him to receive a prison sentence.

The 47-year-old was also cleared of coercing Hermoso into deeming the kiss as consensual.

The controversy overshadowed a historic day for Hermoso and Spain’s women’s national team as a whole, with the player admitting that the unlawful incident had “tainted one of the happiest days” of her life.

Providing evidence on the first day of court proceedings, Hermoso told the High Court that she had never provided any consent to be kissed. In response, Rubiales said: “I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission,” before adding “in that moment it was something completely spontaneous.”

Rubiales, who resigned from his RFEF role in September 2023 after mounting pressure, has also been ordered to not go within 200 metres of Hermoso for one year, and to refrain from having any contact with the player for the same time period. The decision can be appealed should Rubiales and his legal team wish to take that route.

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