Trial of Luis Rubiales: A Landmark Moment in the Fight Against Sexual Violence in Sports
On February 3, 2024, the trial against Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, began in Madrid, marking a pivotal moment in the battle against sexual violence within sports. Rubiales is facing charges stemming from his non-consensual kiss of national team player Jennifer Hermoso during the award ceremony for the 2023 Women's World Cup in Sydney. Hermoso's decision to file a complaint has led to accusations of sexual violence and coercion against Rubiales, along with three additional defendants, including former women's national team coach Jorge Vilda and two officials from the federation, Rubén Rivera and Albert Luque.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage not just in Spain but across the globe, inspiring many women to share their own experiences using the hashtag #SeAcabó (It's Over), highlighting a larger issue of systemic protection for perpetrators in cases of gender-based violence, as noted by expert Isabel Valdés in El País.
The trial, which will be open to the public until February 19, 2024, is under intense scrutiny. The prosecution is seeking a sentence of two and a half years in prison for Rubiales—one year for sexual violence and an additional one and a half years for pressures placed on Hermoso post-incident. The other defendants, who are only charged with coercion, could face a potential sentence of one and a half years.
In her testimony, Hermoso described the kiss as an action that was 'completely out of context,' emphasizing that she felt disrespected and violated. Rubiales has maintained that the kiss was an expression of joy and that he believed it to be a consensual act. However, Hermoso firmly rebutted this claim, stating she did not give her consent at any point, nor did she feel she could escape the situation when it occurred.
Hermoso's experiences didn't end with the kiss itself. During her testimony, she recounted pressures from Rubiales and others to publicly state that the kiss was consensual. This included intimidation tactics such as warnings from Vilda that refusing to align with Rubiales’ narrative could negatively impact her professional career.
After the incident, Hermoso faced a flood of violent messages and threats on social media, which forced her out of Madrid. She expressed frustration that no one from the Football Federation reached out to provide support or inquire about her wellbeing, instead choosing only to salvage their reputations.
Following Hermoso's testimony, two federation employees backed her claim that Rubiales actively sought to minimize the incident's fallout and attempted to manage public perception. The governance structure of the federation came under fire after Rubiales publicly rejected calls to resign, calling feminism a 'great plague' and attributing his issues to a social movement against men.
Rubiales was suspended for 90 days by FIFA and later banned from participating in football-related activities for three years. The incident led to a significant backlash from the national women's team, with players collectively refusing to play as long as he remained in his position.
The trial is expected to see testimony from approximately twenty witnesses, including Hermoso's teammates and officials from the federation, providing a broader context for the systemic issues in the sport regarding gender-based violence.
As the proceedings unfold, Hermoso has become an emblem of the fight against sexism in sports, earning support from numerous players, activists, and even government representatives. Equality Minister Ana Redondo expressed solidarity with Hermoso, stating, 'Not one more kiss without consent, not one more sexual assault.'
The trial of Luis Rubiales not only addresses a specific act of violence but also serves as a critical lens through which the structures of power in sports are being examined. It reflects the ongoing struggle against the normalization of violence against women and the urgent need for change within institutions historically resistant to accountability.
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