Luis Rubiales, the former president of Spain’s football federation, has been ordered to give testimony to a Spanish judge investigating his kiss on a player at the Women’s World Cup.
Judge Francisco de Jorge ordered Rubiales to answer his questions on Friday at Spain’s National Court in Madrid.
Rubiales kissed Spain forward Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title on August 20 in Sydney, Australia. He said she had consented to the kiss, but Hermoso has denied that.
Spanish state prosecutors formally accused Rubiales last week of alleged sexual assault and an act of coercion when, according to Hermoso, he pressured her to speak out in his defence immediately after the scandal erupted.
Rubiales announced on Sunday that he was resigning from his post, from which he had already been provisionally suspended by Fifa.
De Jorge is carrying out the preliminary investigation into the accusations against Rubiales, and will then decide whether the case should go to trial.
According to a sexual consent law passed in Spain last year, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty of sexual assault. The new law eliminated the difference between “sexual harassment” and “sexual assault,” sanctioning any non-consentual sexual act.
In a separate development, a day after Rubiales finally resigned, European football body Uefa hosted a storied group of women players and coaches for a conference to help shape a brighter future for their game.
And when it was over, Uefa thanked its now-former vice-president “for his many years of service”.
“Uefa acknowledges the public discourse surrounding Mr. Rubiales and his recent actions but would also like to thank him for his many years of service to European football,” the Uefa statement said. “In view of the ongoing legal proceedings, Uefa has no further comments to make on this matter.”
Three Ballon d’Or winners joined the Uefa meeting in person or online. They included Alexia Putellas, one of Spain’s World Cup-winning team members. There was also Veró Boquete, who is also a former Spain women’s team captain.
With inputs from AP/PTI
