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Football: Spain's Hermoso files complaint over Rubiales' kiss

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Jenni Hermoso of Spain holds up the winner’s trophy after winning the FIFA Women" s="" World="" Cup="" Final="" soccer="" match="" between="" Spain="" and="" England="" at="" Stadium="" Australia="" in="" August="" Dean="" EPA-EFE="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/09/06/090623_fwwc_esp-jenni-hermoso_epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Jenni Hermoso of Spain holds up the winner’s trophy after winning the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup 2023 Final soccer match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, August 20, 2023. <em>Dean Lewins, EPA-EFE/File.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MADRID -- Spain player Jenni Hermoso has filed a criminal complaint over suspended football chief Luis Rubiales&#x27;s kiss on her lips at the Women&#x27;s World Cup final, a source at Spain&#x27;s public prosecutors office said Wednesday.</p><p>The complaint, which was filed on Tuesday, is key for a preliminary investigation, which prosecutors at Spain&#x27;s top criminal court have opened for the alleged crime of &quot;sexual assault&quot;, to move forward.</p><p>The prosecutor&#x27;s office of the National Court will formally present its complaint against Rubiales &quot;as soon as possible&quot;, the source said.</p><p>Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Rubiales sparked a worldwide backlash after forcibly kissing Hermoso during the medal ceremony following Spain&#x27;s triumph in Sydney on August 20.</p><p>Hermoso, 33, later said the unwanted kiss had left her feeling &quot;vulnerable and like the victim of an assault&quot;, with a statement on social media describing it as &quot;an impulsive, macho act, out of place and with no type of consent on my part&quot;.</p><p>Rubiales insists the kiss was consensual.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/06/23/spains-rfef-sorry-for-rubiales-scandal-fires-womens-coach">Football: Spain&#x27;s RFEF sorry for Rubiales scandal, fires women&#x27;s coach</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/01/23/rubiales-kiss-should-never-have-happened-says-fifa-chief">Rubiales kiss &#x27;should never have happened&#x27;, says FIFA chief Infantino</a></li></ul><p>The National Court said last week it was opening the preliminary probe in light of the &quot;unequivocal nature&quot; of Hermoso&#x27;s statements, stating it was necessary &quot;to determine their legal significance&quot;.</p><p>World football governing body FIFA provisionally suspended Rubiales for 90 days after he refused to resign from his post.</p><p>Some 81 players went on strike from the women&#x27;s side in protest after the 46-year-old&#x27;s fierce defensive speech following the incident, in which he railed against &quot;false feminism&quot;. They said they would not return until the RFEF&#x27;s leadership was changed.</p><p>The federation sacked controversial Spain women&#x27;s coach Jorge Vilda on Tuesday in the wake of the scandal.</p><p>Spain&#x27;s top sports court (TAD) also agreed to investigate Rubiales after the government lodged a complaint.</p><p>Rubiales also came under fire for grabbing his crotch with both hands as he celebrated Spain&#x27;s win while standing next to Spain&#x27;s Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter, Princess Sofia. He later apologized.</p><p>However the suspended chief said he would continue to defend himself &quot;to prove the truth&quot; over his kiss with Hermoso.</p><p>In a statement last week Rubiales reiterated that the kiss was &quot;a mutual and consensual act&quot; with &quot;overflowing jubilation on both sides&quot;.</p><div><strong>- Apology -</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A person holds a sign reading " we="" are="" with="" during="" a="" march="" in="" support="" of="" Spanish="" national="" soccer="" player="" Jenni="" Hermoso="" September="" Eloy="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/09/06/090623_woso_esp-rfef_epa.jpg"/><figcaption>A person holds a sign reading &#x27;Jenni, we are with you&#x27; during a march in support of Spanish national soccer player Jenni Hermoso in Gijon, Spain, September 1, 2023. <em>Eloy Alonso, EPA-EFE.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>The RFEF apologized for the &quot;totally unacceptable behavior&quot; of Rubiales on Tuesday and fired Vilda as part of an overhaul. The apology came more than two weeks after the incident.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/29/23/spain-starts-probe-over-rubiales-kiss-as-federation-asks-him-to-quit">Spain starts probe over Rubiales&#x27; kiss as federation asks him to quit</a></li></ul><p>In a letter signed by its interim president Pedro Rocha, the RFEF offered its &quot;most sincere apologies... for the totally unacceptable behavior of its highest institutional representative during the final of the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup 2023 and in the moments that followed&quot;.</p><p>Vilda&#x27;s former assistant Montserrat Tome is the new coach -- it is the first time a woman has led the team. The next matches are in Nations League qualifying against Sweden and Switzerland on September 22 and 26 respectively.</p><p>Meanwhile men&#x27;s team defender Dani Carvajal came under fire for comments he made Tuesday night on Spanish radio, in which he said he did not want to position himself on the issue &quot;without knowing what really happened&quot;.</p><p>Carvajal had said &quot;there are people who must decide if there is a culprit or a victim&quot; and noted Hermoso had not filed a complaint at the time. He clarified his words in a news conference Wednesday.</p><p>&quot;In no moment did I say that Jenni was not the victim, I just said that the presumption of innocence (until proven otherwise) has to be maintained,&quot; said Real Madrid right-back Carvajal.</p><p>&quot;If she&#x27;s having a tough time we have to show solidarity with her, that&#x27;s clear, like any person -- I don&#x27;t think the president is having a good time either.</p><p>&quot;I am not here to judge or label anyone.&quot;</p><p>© Agence France-Presse</p><div><br/><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6HBWXvtwML8?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Spain player Jenni Hermoso has filed a criminal complaint over suspended football chief Luis Rubiales's kiss on her lips at the Women's World Cup final.