Hermoso says guilty verdict for Rubiales kiss sets 'important precedent'

MADRID — Spain forward Jenni Hermoso said Saturday that the guilty verdict given to Luis Rubiales for his unsolicited kiss after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final sets an “important precedent” for women’s rights.

“After everything, this will create an important precedent in society, where there is still much work to do,” she wrote in Spanish on Instagram. “My heart is full of each person who was with me and will stay with me in this fight.”

It was her first public statement since a Spanish court ruled Thursday that the former president of Spain’s soccer federation had sexually abused her when he kissed her without consent during the World Cup celebrations.

Spain’s National Court ordered Rubiales to pay more than 10,000 euros ($10,400) in fines and prohibited him from getting within 200 meters of Hermoso or communicating with her for a year. Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence.

She ended her post with the message “And now, it is over,” (“Y ahora sí, se acabó) in reference to a phrase that went viral during the kiss scandal that meant “enough is enough.”