A High Court in Spain on Thursday revealed it found former football federation boss, Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the 2023 FIFA World Cup awards ceremony.
The court set a fine of over 10,000 euros ($10,434.00) but acquitted Rubiales of coercion.
Prosecutors had demanded a prison sentence for Rubiales in a case that sparked a debate in Spain about sexism in women’s football.
However, the court in a statement said, “The ruling bans Rubiales from going within a 200-meter (656-foot) radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year.”
Rubiales was accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the mouth in 2023.
The 47-year-old was also accused alongside three other former soccer federation officials of attempting to coerce her into saying the kiss, at the FIFA World Cup awards ceremony in Sydney, was consensual.
Rubiales eventually resigned three weeks after the scandal and was banned by FIFA for three years.
However, Hermoso insisted she did not consent to the kiss while Rubiales denies wrongdoing and says it was consensual.