Jenni Hermoso has revealed that she received death threats of the back Luis Rubiales’ World Cup final kiss that "stained" one of her "happiest days".
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Forward helped Spain to glory in 2023Controversy sparked during medal ceremonyProsecutors pushing for Rubiales to be jailedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Disgraced former Spanish Football Federation president Rubiales planted a kiss onto the lips of Hermoso during the medal ceremony which followed Spain’s 1-0 win over England in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. Rubiales is now standing trial in Madrid on accusations of sexual assault and coercion.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT JENNI HERMOSO SAID
Hermoso was the first witness called at that trial and said of the incident was entirely non-consensual: “My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn't happen in any social or work setting. I greeted the queen, I greeted her daughter. The next thing was meeting Rubiales. The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth.”
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Hermoso says that she "didn’t hear or understand anything" that Rubiales said at the time and reiterated that "a kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so". She went on to reveal that "no-one came to ask me how I was" after the kiss and that she felt "completely abandoned by the federation".
GettyDID YOU KNOW?
Hermoso continued to celebrate "the greatest achievement” of her life after claiming a global crown, but soon realised that action needed to be taken. Rubiales asked her to record a video with him on the Spain squad’s journey home, having faced accusations of assault on social media, with Hermoso's response being: "I said no, that I was not going to do anything, that I was not the cause of this."
