Rubiales admits that he "made a mistake" but denies having assaulted or coerced Hermoso

San Fernando de Henares"I was wrong. I behaved like a successful athlete, like one of the group, and at that moment I should have been cold-blooded and played an institutional role. But that is why there is a crime, for nothing." This is how Luis Rubiales explained to the judge the kiss on the mouth that he gave Jenni Hermoso during the World Cup celebrations. Although he admitted that he "messed up", the man accused of sexual assault and coercion has limited his "mistake" to a slip of the tongue because he was the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). In no case, Rubiales has stated, can the kiss on the lips of the Spanish national team player be considered sexual assault.

The former president of the RFEF denied that he was forced and reiterated that he asked her permission in the seconds before. "I asked her 'Can I give you a kiss?'" and said "OK," he said. "She knows I asked her," Rubiales replied, contradicting the version of the Madrid player, who in the first session of the oral hearing in the National Court denied having consented to it. The former president of the RFEF insisted on downplaying a "totally spontaneous" gesture and justified that grabbing her head to kiss her was a movement comparable to "giving a hug."

Rubiales argued that he did not receive any gesture of rejection –"She left laughing and patting me on the side several times"– and that in no case did she want to satisfy a sexual desire with the kiss. "We had won a World Cup, we were happy, content. It was a sign of affection for a person who inspired tenderness in me at a time when, in the midst of joy, I was suffering from having missed a penalty," said the former president of the RFEF. To demonstrate that a kiss on the mouth has no sexual connotation for him and that he does it in moments of celebration, Rubiales has stated that he also refers to his daughters at special moments such as "New Year's Eve" or when "they pass all their subjects." Although Rubiales' daughters were initially supposed to testify as witnesses, his defense ended up renouncing it and have not given their version. "I would kiss many footballers," Rubiales has said, and has justified that with "four or five players," including Hermoso, he had a "very friendly relationship."

«'Can I give you a kiss?'»

To try to support their version, Rubiales' defense has called upon a deaf man to testify, who read the lips of the former RFEF president through a video posted on TikTok. David Morillo, who appeared by video conference accompanied by a sign language interpreter, said that from the analysis of the two seconds prior to the kiss he concluded that Rubiales asked Hermoso for permission saying: "Can I give you a kiss?" "Among the words kiss, little beak, pretty, a little, can you tell them apart by lip reading?" Hermoso's lawyer asked. Rubiales had stated during the investigation that he said "little beak". Morillo has established himself with "kiss" and Rubiales has confirmed that he used this other word. Asked about this change of version, the accused has justified that they are "synonymous words". The Prosecutor's Office has cast doubts on the expert's professionalism. Nor has any video been analyzed in which Hermoso's lips can be read. ~BK_S

Rubiales clung to the interview that Hermoso gave to Cope when he was still at the stadium shortly after the events to refute the accusations. In these first statements, the player explained that she did not expect the kiss, but was convinced that it would end up being an "anecdote." The former president of the RFEF has used this to affirm that the player changed her version and that, from the start, she experienced it the same as him. Hermoso justified these statements because he did not want the kiss to take prominence away from the team's victory. According to Rubiales' version, she did not comment at any time on her discomfort and denied that There was a hostile atmosphere towards the footballer during the celebration, unlike what some of her colleagues testified, and the return by bus and by plane because she did not want to go out again to support the behavior of the former president of the RFEF.

Rubiales has denied having exercised any coercion and has attributed her nervousness to the fact that the father of another player, Olga Carmona, had just died, and she had to tell him before he found out through the networks. Unlike what was said by other witnesses during the trial, the former president of the RFEF assured that he did not participate in the drafting of the statement that the Federation wanted to issue on behalf of Hermoso to reduce the accusation against him. According to Rubiales, he was calm and the "tension" to reduce the media pressure came from the communication team and the institutional heads of the RFEF. He has also assured that he did not manipulate his subordinates at the Federation to exert pressure against the player and her entourage, nor did Albert Luque, former sports director of the Spanish men's soccer team; Jorge Vilda, former women's national team coach, and Rubén Rivera, former RFEF marketing manager. The other three accused of coercion will testify on Wednesday.