Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, has been found guilty of sexual assault against Spain Women's striker Jenni Hermoso, whom he kissed on the lips after the 2023 World Cup final.
The disgraced former RFEF chief was on the stage after Spain defeated England 1-0 in the showpiece match two years ago, where he embraced Hermoso before clearly grabbing her head and kissing her on the lips.
Hermoso subsequently claimed that the kiss was not consensual, triggering uproar online as furious supporters called on Rubiales to resign, but he repeatedly insisted that Hermoso had given him her permission to kiss her.
Rubiales was subsequently charged with sexual assault and coercion, also facing allegations that he tried to pressure Hermoso into downplaying the incident and saying that the kiss was consensual, which she refused to do.
On Thursday, Spain's High Court ruled that Rubiales must pay a fine of more than €10,000 (£8,282.95) after being found guilty of sexual assault, but the 47-year-old was acquitted of coercion.
Prosecutors sought jail time for Rubiales, but the former RFEF chief has not received a prison sentence, while three others accused of coercion - ex-Spain boss Jorge Vilda, former RFEF sporting director Albert Luque and former marketing chief Ruben Rivera, were also cleared.
How the Luis Rubiales kiss scandal unfolded
After Hermoso took to social media to accuse Rubiales of kissing her without her consent, the Spain Women's team announced an immediate boycott, refusing to play any matches until the disgraced former president stood down.
Rubiales remained defiant in his stance that Hermoso had green-lighted the kiss and publicly refused to resign, bizarrely claiming that he was the subject of a "witch hunt" by "fake feminists".
High-profile men's players including David de Gea, Hector Bellerin and Borja Mayoral also announced their intentions to boycott international games unless Rubiales was removed or stood down, while as many as 11 staff members of the Spain Women's team resigned in protest.
However, Rubiales - who was also given a provisional 90-day suspension by FIFA - announced his resignation in an interview with Piers Morgan in the middle of September 2023, at which time he was also given a restraining order forbidding him from going within 200m of Hermoso.
A three-year football banning order was then imposed on Rubiales, who continued to protest his innocence to the court, while Hermoso claimed that she received "threats" in the wake of the kiss.
The 34-year-old - who said that the incident "stained one of the happiest days of my life" - is the all-time record scorer for the Spain Women's team with 57 goals from 123 appearances.
Ben Knapton
