Former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexually assaulting footballer Jenni Hermoso by kissing her without consent after Spain's Women's World Cup victory in the summer of 2023.
Rubiales was ordered to pay a fine exceeding €10,000 but was acquitted of coercion charges.
The case, which sparked international debate on sexism and consent in football, stemmed from the incident during Spain's World Cup celebrations in August 2023.
Prosecutors had sought a two-and-a-half year jail sentence for Rubiales - one year for sexual assault and 18 months for the alleged coercion.
Former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexually assaulting footballer Jenni Hermoso by kissing her without consent after Spain's Women's World Cup victory
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The controversial kiss overshadowed Spain's historic triumph and led to Hermoso receiving death threats, ultimately resulting in Rubiales' resignation from his position as federation chief.
Rubiales, 47, had consistently maintained the kiss was consensual following the final in Sydney.
"I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission," he told the court in Madrid. "In that moment it was something completely spontaneous."
In his court testimony, the former federation president acknowledged making an error of judgment while still defending the kiss.
"It's obvious now that I made a mistake," he told the court. "It was spontaneous. I behaved like a sports person, like I was one more member of the team."
Luis Rubiales was sacked as the head of the Spanish FA after kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent in August 2023
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Three other federation officials were also on trial for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual: former head coach Jorge Vilda, former sporting director Albert Luque, and former marketing chief Rubén Rivera.
All three had denied the charges against them.
Testifying at the national court near Madrid, Hermoso firmly denied consenting to the kiss from Rubiales.
"I felt it was totally out of place and I then realised my boss was kissing me, and this shouldn't happen in any social or workplace setting," she told the court.
The World Cup winner described feeling "disrespected" and emphasised she had never sought or expected such an incident.
The impact on Hermoso's life has been severe, as she explained to the court: "Obviously, even today, I say that my life changed at that moment."
"I'm a world champion but it seems that, even to this day, my life has been on standby. I honestly haven't been able to live freely," she added.
The player said she had been unable to enjoy her team's historic achievement since returning to Madrid.
Hermoso's brother Rafael testified that Vilda had approached him during the flight from Australia, asking him to convince his sister to record a video with Rubiales.
"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," Rafael told the court.
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Team-mate Misa Rodríguez revealed that Hermoso was "under a lot of pressure" and "started crying" after Rubiales spoke to her on the plane.
The public prosecutor Marta Durántez Gil was unequivocal in court about Rubiales' guilt.
"It was an unwanted kiss: I believe that after the examination carried out [during the trial], there is no doubt, or at least not sufficient reasonable doubt," she stated.
The federation had released a statement on Hermoso's behalf, despite her refusal to participate.
Hermoso later said this made her feel she was "participating in something I hadn't done and in which I didn't want to participate."
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Luis Rubiales had previously downplayed his kiss with Jenni Hermoso as a 'peck'. He has now been found guilty of sexual assault
PARubiales initially dismissed critics of his actions as "idiots and stupid people" before the incident sparked global outrage.
The controversy intensified when footage emerged of him grabbing his crotch while standing next to Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter during the World Cup celebrations.
FIFA provisionally suspended Rubiales as pressure mounted for his resignation.
In a defiant speech to the federation, Rubiales declared "I will not resign" five times and attacked what he called "false feminism."
He attempted to downplay the kiss as "a peck".
The Spanish Football Federation ultimately demanded his resignation and sacked Vilda, who had applauded Rubiales' defiant speech.
