Spain men’s coach De la Fuente distances himself from Hermoso kiss case at Rubiales trial

Spain men’s coach Luis de la Fuente appeared in court on Tuesday in Madrid as a witness in the trial of former Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales. Rubiales is facing charges of sexual assault for kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso at the 2023 Women’s World Cup final presentation ceremony in Sydney, as well as coercion for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to support his version of the kiss.

During his testimony, de la Fuente stated that he did not engage in any discussions related to Hermoso following the controversial kiss. He mentioned that he had only spoken to Hermoso recently at a gala event and did not have any conversations with federation officials regarding the incident. De la Fuente, who was present at the Women’s World Cup final in Australia, emphasized that his interactions with Hermoso were limited to football-related matters.

Rubiales, along with three other former federation officials, including former Spain women’s coach Jorge Vilda, former sports director Albert Luque, and former head of marketing Ruben Rivera, are accused of pressuring Hermoso to publicly defend Rubiales after the incident. Hermoso refused to support Rubiales’ version of events, leading to a legal battle that has sparked outrage in Spain over sexism in sports.

The trial also heard testimony from former federation press chief Pablo Garcia Cuervo, who revealed that he had drafted some of Hermoso’s comments for release to the media. Hermoso had expressed her disapproval of Rubiales’ actions, stating that the kiss had tainted one of the happiest days of her life.

Rubiales, who has denied the charges against him, resigned from his position under pressure and was subsequently banned by FIFA for three years. Prosecutors, Hermoso, and the Spain players’ association are seeking jail time for Rubiales and the other defendants, as well as financial penalties and bans from working as sports officials.

The trial is ongoing and is expected to last at least 10 days. Rubiales is scheduled to testify at a later date. The outcome of the trial will have significant implications for the future of Spanish football and the fight against gender discrimination in sports.