Rubiales caused a global uproar when he kissed Hermoso after she played a key role in Spain’s victory over England in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Australia. The fallout from the scandal led to Rubiales resigning in disgrace, while Hermoso has become a symbol in the fight against sexism and macho culture in sports.
Rafael Hermoso, Jenni’s older brother, mentioned that former women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda asked him during their flight back to Spain to persuade his sister to make a video with Rubiales to show that she wasn’t upset about the kiss.
Vilda “told me that my sister was of a certain age, that she already had a career and that if she cooperated, things would go well for her”, he told the National Court just outside Madrid.
“But that if she did not cooperate, there was no way of knowing what would happen,” he continued.
“The last thing Mr Vilda said to me was that we should bear in mind the professional and personal consequences that all this could have for my sister,” he added.
Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison against Rubiales, one year for sexual assault for the forced kiss and 18 months for allegedly coercing Hermoso, 34, to downplay the incident.
Rubiales, 47, has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion. He is scheduled to take the stand on February 12.
Vilda and two former federation officials, Ruben Rivera and Albert Luque, are on trial alongside Rubiales.
They also stand accused of trying to coerce Hermoso with prosecutors seeking 18 months’ jail against them.
Jenni’s teammate Misa Rodriguez told the court the striker was “under a lot of pressure” and “started crying” shortly after Rubiales talked to her on the plane.
“At no point did she tell us that the kiss had been consensual,” the goalkeeper added.