Jenni Hermoso’s schedule is busy these days. On Sunday December 31, the Spanish football player was the star guest of the New Year’s Eve television evening, followed each year by millions of Spanish speakers around the world. On Monday, she announced her signing with a new Mexican club. And this Tuesday, the international striker is heard by the judge in charge of the Luis Rubiales case, named after the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), who forcibly kissed her on August 20, after the victory for La Roja women at the World Cup.
Jenni Hermoso arrived shortly before 10 a.m. at the National Court in Madrid, wearing a long gray coat. Smiling, she gave a little wave to the press gathered in front of the building, without making any statements. Scheduled for November 28, 2023, the highly anticipated hearing of Ms. Hermoso, who had filed a complaint against Mr. Rubiales in September 2023, had been postponed for scheduling reasons.
Prosecuted for sexual assault and coercion, due to the alleged pressure on Jenni Hermoso and her entourage, Luis Rubiales was already heard in September 2023 by the judge. He has since been banned from coming within 200 meters of the player.
“An impulsive and sexist act”
On August 20, a few minutes after the world title of the Spanish women’s team in Sydney, the 46-year-old national football boss surprised the attacker with a kiss on the lips, provoking outrage in Spain and across the world.
Refusing to resign for “a little consensual kiss”, he attacked, during a resounding speech five days later, a supposed “false feminism” and argued that he had obtained the player’s authorization before kissing her . A version denied by Jenni Hermoso, who said she “felt vulnerable and victim (…) of an impulsive and sexist act, inappropriate and without any consent on [her] part”.
Under pressure, Mr. Rubiales ended up resigning on September 10, 2023, saying he was the victim of a “disproportionate campaign”. He has since been suspended for three years from all football-related activity by the RFEF, a decision he will appeal.
Jenni Hermoso, 33, has unwillingly become a global symbol of the fight for gender equality. She was elected woman of the year 2023 by the Spanish edition of the American magazine GQ. Monday, on X, the player announced that she had signed with the Mexican club Tigres Femenil. “Nothing makes me happier than announcing that I will be part of this incredible club,” said the Spaniard, who played until last season for Mexican club Pachuca.