Spain's Ex-Soccer President Luis Rubiales on Trial for Sexual Assault Over Jenni Hermoso Kiss at World Cup Final

The former president of Spanish soccer, Luis Rubiales, is on trial for alleged sexual assault over kissing player Jenni Hermoso at the 2023 World Cup Final.

During Rubiales' trial, which began in Madrid on Monday, Feb. 3, Spanish soccer star Hermoso, 34, said that she “never” consented to the 47-year-old kissing her on the lips at the tournament, according to Reuters, BBC News and Spanish outlet ABC.

"I didn't hear or understand anything. The next thing he did was put his hands over my ears and he kissed me on the mouth," Hermoso said in court, per ABC.

Hermoso said she felt “disrespected” and claimed that "at no point was I able to react" during the kiss, adding that it was “a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life," according to the outlet.

Rubiales, who is the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), is charged with sexual assault for his alleged unsolicited kiss with the midfielder following the Spanish women's team’s World Cup win on Aug. 20, 2023. He later announced his resignation as president of the federation on Sept. 10.

Related: Jenni Hermoso Speaks Out About Fallout from Unsolicited Kiss After World Cup Win: ‘It Hurt and It Still Hurts’

Three colleagues of Rubiales are also on trial for alleged coercion — Rubén Rivera, former head of marketing for the federation, Spain’s team coach Jorge Vilda and former sporting director, Albert Luque.

Hermoso said of the incident in court on Monday, "I felt that it was completely out of context. I already knew that my boss was kissing me and this should not happen in any social or work environment,” per ABC.

She reportedly claimed that she told a couple of her colleagues straight after and that Rubiales called her afterward after hearing buzz on social media about the kiss, saying that “it was getting complicated [and] that we could stop this now.”

Related: FIFA Suspends Spanish Soccer President Luis Rubiales After He Kisses Player on the Lips During World Cup

According to the ABC, Hermoso said she “downplay[ed]” the situation at first to look out for her team and that she “felt completely unprotected by the federation” afterward. She also shared that she had a “good relationship” with Rubiales prior to the incident.

Prosecutors are asking for Rubiales to be handed a one-year prison sentence over his charges, which he denies, along with a year-and-a-half sentence for coercion for allegedly pressurizing Hermoso to say publicly that the kiss was consensual, according to BBC News.

In court on Monday, Hermoso reportedly claimed that she was later shown a statement by retired Spanish soccer player and manager, García Cuervo, and Patricia Pérez that they had written for her in an attempt to dial down the issue.

She also shared that she had paid for “intensified” psychological assistance over the incident in Mexico, where she plays with her soccer club.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.          

The start of the trial comes after Hermoso was dropped from Spain's women's national team roster in September 2023 for matches against Spain and Switzerland, weeks after the incident, according Reuters. At the time, new coach Montse Tomé said leaving her out of the team was the "best way to protect her," per USA TODAY.

Hermoso returned to the team in October 2023. That same month, FIFA announced a three-year ban from the sport for Rubiales.

Read the original article on People