Spain’s top criminal court has opened a preliminary investigation into the country’s football federation president Luis Rubiales after he kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips. The prosecutors are looking into whether the incident amounts to a crime of sexual assault.
Rubiales, 46, has been widely criticised after the incident following Spain’s Women’s World Cup final win.
After the whole drama, Hermoso claimed the kiss by the country’s football federation president Luis Rubiales was not consensual.
Consequently, Rubiales was suspended on Saturday by world football’s governing body FIFA.
The court said it was opening the investigation in light of the unequivocal nature of Hermoso’s statements, saying, “it was necessary “to determine their legal significance”.
Some legal experts also said, “to offer her the option of legal action, giving her the chance to contact National Court prosecutors within 15 days for information about her rights as a victim of an alleged sexual assault should she wish to file a complaint”.
In her words, “The sexual act she was subjected to by Luis Rubiales was not consensual.”
