Rubirs, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), was indicted in 2023 for allegedly kissing women's soccer player Jeanne Hermoso mouth-to-mouth without the consent of the other party. Spain's High Court found him guilty of sexual assault on February 19 and fined him more than 10,000 euros and acquitted him of coercion. Mr. Rubiers told Reuters that he would appeal the court decision.

On February 12, 2025, Luis Rubiales appeared in court in Madrid, Spain, about the forced kiss case

In August 2023, after Spain won the Women's World Cup, the 47-year-old Rubirs kissed Hermoso at the award ceremony, which Hermoso said was not voluntary. But Mr. Rubirs said it was a consensual act and denied any impropriety.

Judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto ruled on the 19th that he believed Hermoso's testimony that he did not agree to be kissed. The judge found that the sexual assault was "reprehensible" but did not involve violence or intimidation, was minor and should not be sentenced to prison.

Hermoso appears in court in Madrid, Spain, on February 3, 2025, in a case of forced kissing

In addition to a fine, Rubius was also banned from entering Hermoso's 200-metre radius and banned from contacting her for one year. An additional €3,000 was to be compensated to Hermoso.

There are three other defendants in the same case: former national team coach Jorge Vilda, current sporting director of the Spanish Football Federation, Albert Luque, and marketing director Ruben Rivera. The court acquitted Hermoso of "sustained pressure" on Hermoso and his family and friends after they were accused of forcing Hermoso to confess that he had been kissed voluntarily.

Forced kiss incident

The incident attracted much attention in Spain, forcing Rubirs to resign as president of the Spanish Football Federation and vice-president of the European Football Federation's executive committee, and prosecutors sought to sentence him to prison. Spain's Minister for Equality, Ana Redondo, said that a forced kiss without the consent of the victim could amount to sexual assault, and the judge confirmed this in his judgment. Victims should be respected, this is a legal requirement and should not be questioned.