Spanish Prosecutors Accuse Luis Rubiales Of Sexual Assault

Spanish public prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against football chief Luis Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion after he kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent, the prosecutors office said Friday. Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Rubiales, 46, sparked a worldwide backlash after forcibly kissing Hermoso during the medal ceremony following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in Sydney on August 20. "The prosecutors request that Luis Rubiales be questioned as an accused (party) and Jenni Hermoso as a victim," the prosecutors office said in a statement.

The move comes after Hermoso, 33, filed a complaint at the National Court on Tuesday, formally accusing Rubiales of sexual assault.

A judge at the court must now decide whether to accept or archive the request.

If the judge accepts the request, a magistrate will be assigned to head an investigation which will end either with a recommendation for the case to go to trial or be dismissed.

Under Spanish law, sexual assault includes a wide array of crimes from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different penalties. The punishment for a non-consensual kiss can range from a fine to four years in prison.

Hermoso, who plays for Mexican club Pachuca, has said the unwanted kiss had left her feeling "vulnerable and like the victim of an assault", with a statement on social media describing it as "an impulsive, macho act, out of place and with no type of consent on my part".

She has also accused Rubiales of pressuring her to speak out in his defense immediately after the scandal over the kiss erupted, which prosecutors said could be considered a crime of coercion.

Rubiales insists the kiss was consensual.

World football governing body FIFA