Spanish football bosses flew to Ibiza to harass star Jenni Hermoso amid Luis Rubiales sexual assault storm, court documents allege

Movies of Spanish soccer participant Jenni Hermoso sunbaking on a yacht in Ibiza made world headlines within the days after final 12 months’s World Cup closing. 

Spain’s girls’s crew had simply gained the game’s most prestigious competitors in Sydney and had been on the social gathering island to rejoice.

The star striker appeared in good spirits, laughing and wakeboarding in photographs and movies posted on social media, regardless of a debate raging round her sparked by a kiss planted on her within the moments after the match from Royal Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales.

However behind the scenes, it is alleged Ms Hermoso, her family and friends had been being harassed and intimidated by among the strongest males in Spanish soccer. 

Courtroom paperwork filed by prosecutors in Madrid allege RFEF advertising and marketing director Rubén Rivera and girls’s sports activities director Albert Luque turned up in Ibiza, however to not be part of the social gathering.

The paperwork allege the duo’s mission was to get Ms Hermoso to document a video assertion backing Mr Rubiales, and that when she refused, issues went south.

In line with the paperwork, Mr Luque allegedly despatched a number of WhatsApp messages to Ms Hermoso’s pal expressing his anger and accusing the striker of “being a foul individual, wishing her to be very lonely in life and asserting that he could be completely happy if that occurred”.

The allegations contained within the paperwork set out a timeline of how a saga that began in Sydney exploded over subsequent days, first behind the scenes and later, into the worldwide highlight.

Spain beat England 1-0 within the closing at Stadium Australia on August 20, however their victory celebrations took a flip when Rubiales grabbed Hermoso’s head and kissed her on the lips as she acquired her winner’s medal on stage.

Whereas nobody is denying the incident passed off — it occurred in entrance of a packed crowd and tv viewers of thousands and thousands — there was a fierce debate about whether or not the kiss was consensual within the days that adopted.

Mr Rubiales was subsequently charged with sexual assault, one thing he denies. Spanish prosecutors final month requested for a jail sentence if Mr Rubiales was convicted.

Courtroom paperwork submitted by the Spanish prosecutor’s workplace allege the kiss was simply the beginning of a sequence of prison offences Mr Rubiales and his government crew subjected Ms Hermoso to within the days after the ultimate. 

Public prosecutor Marta Durantez Gil can also be pursuing prices of coercion in opposition to 4 males throughout the RFEF: Mr Rubiales, then-women’s crew coach Jorge Vilda, Mr Rivera and Mr Luque.

All the lads deny the allegations, together with that they tried to stress Ms Hermoso into downplaying the kiss and that they harassed the star and her family and friends.

The paperwork allege Mr Rubiales exerted “fixed and repeated acts of stress” on Ms Hermoso, with “the goal of publicly justifying and approving the kiss”. 

These acts of stress are alleged to have begun instantly after the medal presentation ceremony in Sydney, with Mr Rubiales asking for Ms Hermoso to be despatched out of the change rooms at Stadium Australia to talk with him.  

“At this early state, Luis Rubiales had already urged the participant to make a public assertion about her acceptance of the kiss, which she didn’t agree with,” Ms Durantez Gil stated in her written assertion, filed with the courtroom.

It is alleged that Ms Hermoso was then ordered to get off the crew bus whereas travelling to Sydney airport to signal a press launch drafted by the RFEF communications crew, which was despatched to the media regardless of the athlete not agreeing with its contents. 

The assertion stated: “It was a very spontaneous mutual gesture because of the immense pleasure of successful a World Cup. The president and I’ve an excellent relationship, his behaviour in direction of us has been glorious and it was a pure gesture of affection and gratitude”.

On the flight from Australia to Spain after the match, Mr Rubiales is accused of repeatedly approaching Ms Hermoso to steer her to make a joint public assertion exonerating him for the kiss. 

When she refused, the prosecution alleges, Mr Vilda — who was the crew’s coach on the time — approached Ms Hermoso’s household, who had been on the identical flight, and informed her brother she would face adverse penalties “each personally and in her skilled profession as a footballer” if she did not document a video assertion throughout their stopover in Doha.

“Jennifer suffered a state of affairs of harassment that prevented her from residing her life in peace, tranquillity and freedom,” Ms Durantez Gil stated within the paperwork.

Makes an attempt to coerce Ms Hermoso to make an announcement absolving Mr Rubiales are alleged to have continued in the course of the crew journey to Ibiza, which started two days after the ultimate. 

The courtroom paperwork allege that the defendants’ harassment of Ms Hermoso ended when Mr Rubiales was provisionally suspended by the sports activities world governing physique, FIFA, on August 26.  

He formally resigned from his function as RFEF president 16 days later. 

If discovered responsible, the Spanish prosecutor has beneficial 18-month jail phrases for all 4 defendants for coercion and a further 12 months for Mr Rubiales for sexual assault.

The undesirable kiss coincided with a big change to Spain’s sexual assault legal guidelines, which now implement jail phrases of 1 to 4 years for anybody who “commits any act in opposition to the sexual autonomy of one other individual with out his/her consent”. 

The authorized overhaul was triggered by nationwide protests over a gang rape at a pageant in 2016. This case is essentially the most high-profile check of the brand new laws.

Mr Rubiales has repeatedly denied sexually assaulting the star ahead and claims he acquired permission from Ms Hermoso earlier than kissing her on the lips.

Ms Hermoso denied giving permission and has beforehand stated the incident left her feeling “susceptible and a sufferer of aggression”, in an announcement she posted on social media.

In an interview with Spanish TV program La Sexta final week, Mr Rubiales stated he was dealing with trial over the kiss “as a result of I’m a person”. 

In response to the allegations of coercion, he stated that he “solely spoke 10 or 15 seconds with Miss Hermoso”.

The interview was broadcast a day after Mr Rubiales was arrested as a part of a separate investigation into allegations of corruption and cash laundering on the RFEF throughout his time as president — one thing he additionally denies.

Whereas Mr Rubiales and Mr Vilda not work for the RFEF, each Mr Luque and Mr Rivera proceed to obtain salaries regardless of being suspended from the organisation whereas they await trial.  

No dates have been set for a possible future trial over the coercion prices the 4 males are dealing with, and sexual assault Rubiales is alleged to have dedicated.