Spain's World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso testified in the trial of former football federation boss Luis Rubiales on Monday, saying the kiss that triggered a national 'Me Too' moment "ruined one of the happiest days of my life."
The 34-year-old forward was the first witness to appear at Madrid's High Court, with Rubiales, 47, accused of sexual assault and attempting to coerce Hermoso -- with the help of three other men -- into declaring that the kiss had been consensual.
He denies those charges.
Rubiales was seen by millions around the world grabbing Hermoso by the head and planting a kiss on her lips during the awards ceremony following the 2023 Women's World Cup final.
"He grabbed my head effusively," Hermoso told the court on Monday. "I couldn't react. It was a thousandth of a second. I felt that it was completely out of context. I knew my boss was kissing me.
"That shouldn't happen. I felt disrespected. It ruined one of the happiest days of my life. I didn't look for that act, and nor did I expect it. I was disrespected.
"I told Alexia [Putellas] and Irene [Paredes] that Rubiales had kissed me on the mouth. Alexia said 'Unbelievable!' I felt that it wasn't normal."
Rubiales, who will give evidence later this month, has said the gesture was consensual.
Hermoso, who was questioned first by the state prosecutor, and then by a lawyer for Rubiales' defence, outlined what she said were efforts by the RFEF to protect Rubiales, in the aftermath of the kiss.
"The [team] bus stopped, and I got off. The press officers were waiting for me," Hermoso said, describing an incident as the team travelled to the airport in Sydney.
"They showed me a cell phone with a statement. They'd written it to send to the press and to calm the commotion. They wanted to take that step, so that the fire would go out. I skimmed the text. I didn't want to know what it said exactly.... I got quite upset. I didn't want to do anything else. I was fed up, and told them 'do whatever you want.'"
Hermoso said Rubiales had then spoken with her personally, during the flight from Australia to Spain.
"[Rubiales] asked me to help him," she said. "That there was a lot of fuss, that they were calling him an aggressor. I told him no, that I wasn't going to do anything. He asked me [to do it for] his daughters, who were having a really bad time. I told him I was sorry, but I wouldn't do it. He told me his girlfriend hadn't been bothered [by the kiss]."
The ensuing scandal eclipsed Spain's first women's World Cup victory and proved a tipping point for efforts by Spain's female players to expose sexism and achieve parity with male counterparts.
"From the moment I set foot in Spain I had television cameras, 24 hours a day, outside my house, people waiting for me, people following me, people taking photos of me," Hermoso told the court.
"I had to leave Madrid with my whole family. I was afraid to go out into the street in case people were after me. I received death threats, messages of all kinds. We left Madrid. It was unsustainable."
The trial will also see several of Hermoso's teammates, including Ballon d'Or winner Putellas, testify.
Rubiales has asked his daughters to take the stand.
He and his co-defendants -- former women's national team coach Jorge Vilda, former Spanish football federation (RFEF) sporting director Albert Luque and the RFEF's former head of marketing Ruben Rivera -- will testify on or after Feb. 12 once the court has interviewed the rest of the witnesses.
The prosecution is seeking two-and-a-half years prison for Rubiales, although in Spain those handed sentences under two years can usually escape incarceration by paying damages instead if they do not have prior convictions.
The scandal sparked a strike by Hermoso's teammates and saw several heads roll at the federation, with Rubiales's right-hand man and successor also being ousted and a woman being appointed to coach the women's team for the first time.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
