Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales to stand trial over World Cup kiss

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00:00The gesture made global headlines and sparked a heated debate about sexism in sports.

00:06Nine months later, a Madrid court has ordered the offender, Luis Rubiales, to stand trial

00:12for his actions.

00:14Luis Rubiales will be tried for the non-consensual kissing of Spanish national team player Jennifer

00:20Hermoso at the end of the World Cup final in August 2023, and for the subsequent coercion

00:26exerted to make her say publicly that it was consensual.

00:31The disgraced former Spanish football federation chief faces one count of sexual assault, which

00:37carries a prison term of up to a year, and another count of coercion for allegedly trying

00:42to pressure Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.

00:46Three others, including former coach Jorge Vilda, will also be tried for coercion and

00:51could face up to 18 months in prison.

00:54Rubiales has denied any wrongdoing and at the time called the gesture a consensual peck,

01:00but Jennifer Hermoso said it was unwanted and demeaning, and accused Rubiales and others

01:05of asking her to downplay the incident.

01:08Rubiales resigned in the aftermath of the scandal and was handed a three-year ban by

01:13FIFA.

01:14He's also under investigation in a separate corruption case involving his time at the

01:19head of the Spanish federation.

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