A judge on Spain’s High Court recommended Thursday that Luis Rubiales, the country’s former soccer federation chief, stand trial on a sexual assault charge for placing a nonconsensual kiss on the lips of Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the Women’s World Cup.
Judge Francisco de Jorge also sought a trial for Jorge Vilda, the team’s former coach, and two members of the Royal Spanish Football Federation for allegedly exerting pressure on Hermoso, the country’s all-time leading scorer, to support Rubiales after the kiss, which occurred during the Aug. 20 medal ceremony.
The judge, who oversaw a pretrial inquiry into the matter, concluded the kiss “was not consensual and was a unilateral and surprising initiative.