The entire football world has been waiting with bated breath to find out the outcome of the legal proceedings involving Luis Rubiales following the shocking scenes that occured following the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
On that occasion, Rubiales kissed Spanish star Jenni Hermoso without her consent, in the view of the entire world who were watching on.
Rubiales, who spent five years as the president of the Spanish football federation, has today been found guilty of kissing Hermoso without her consent, and has now discovered his punishment for the act.
The punishment Rubiales will recieve consists of a €10,000 fine, but the real punishment is the reputational damage that has been done.
He has however been aquitted of coercion, so has avoided a heavier penalty for his actions.
It is looking unlikely that Rubiales will work in football again, and there will surely be outrage if he is ever handed another position within the sport.
Finally it looks as though we can turn the page on one of the darkest stories in recent Spanish football history, and hopefully the RFEF will learn from the experience and put in place better safeguards to protect women and girls within the sport.
