Headline: Montse Tomé announced as new coach of Spanish women’s team; Jenni Hermoso excluded from first list
Date: September 25, 2023
Time: 11:22 ET
Reading time: 5 minutes
Montse Tomé has been introduced as the new coach of the Spanish women’s team. In her first list, Tomé has not included Jenni Hermoso, a notable absence that has raised eyebrows among fans and experts.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the alleged misconduct by former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, has taken a new turn. On Monday, Jenni Hermoso’s brother and a friend supported her claims of non-consent for the kiss on the mouth given by Rubiales during the World Cup final. They further testified about the pressures they faced to justify the incident.
The National Court’s judge, Francisco de Jorge, who is overseeing the investigation, began the round of interrogations by questioning Jenni Hermoso’s brother and friend. Additionally, two sign language interpreters, who analyzed the footage of the incident, confirmed the exchange of words between Hermoso and Rubiales but were unable to verify if there was consent due to the lack of visibility of Hermoso’s face in the footage.
According to legal sources, the interpreters revealed that Rubiales asked Hermoso if he could kiss her before doing so. However, this contradicts Hermoso’s claim of non-consent in her complaint. As the investigation continues, experts are being consulted to shed more light on the incident.
Furthermore, Jenni Hermoso’s brother and friend reiterated their previous statements made to the Prosecutor’s Office, emphasizing that the kiss was not consensual and that they faced pressure from Rubiales’ inner circle to justify the incident publicly. These statements played a crucial role in the Prosecutor’s Office’s decision to file a complaint against Rubiales.
The interrogations are set to continue this Thursday, with Federation officials, including Marketing Director Rubén Rivera, men’s team director Albert Luque, women’s team press manager Patricia Pérez, and former Integrity director Miguel García Caba scheduled to testify. They will be questioned about possible pressures exerted by Rubiales or his entourage on Jenni Hermoso after the kiss incident went viral.
In a separate development, three players from the Spanish National Team, Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes, and Misa Rodríguez, have been summoned to testify as witnesses on Monday, October 2. They will provide their accounts of the incident and shed light on the alleged pressure faced by Jenni Hermoso.
Luis Rubiales, who maintained that the kiss was consensual, resigned from his position as president of the RFEF on September 10, despite initially refusing to do so. He currently has a pending case before the Sports Administrative Court (TAD), and FIFA has provisionally suspended him for 90 days. The incident has sparked public outrage and led to widespread condemnation.