After the attack at the award ceremony of the World Cup final, the Spanish soccer world champion Jennifer Hermoso has filed a complaint against the suspended head of the association Luis Rubiales.
The news agency AFP reported on Wednesday, citing the public prosecutor. The prosecution will now be initiated “as soon as possible”, the authority said.
At the end of August, the public prosecutor’s office of the National Court of Justice in Spain opened a preliminary investigation against Rubiales for alleged sexual assault. Hermoso was then given 15 days “to be informed of her rights as a victim of alleged sexual assault” and, if necessary, “to file a complaint,” the agency said.
Rubiales had kissed Hermoso on the mouth at the award ceremony after the World Cup final victory. The case sparked a storm of indignation around the world. The world governing body FIFA temporarily banned Rubiales for 90 days, and the national sports administration court TAD is also dealing with the incident. Rubiales refused to voluntarily resign as head of the association.
The 46-year-old dismissed the blame, spoke of a “consensual kiss” and launched a sweeping attack on his critics. Hermoso, on the other hand, feels like a “victim of an assault” and vehemently denies the alleged consensus.