Madrid, Feb. 20, 2025 (Reuters/NAN) Spain’s High Court on Thursday found a former soccer federation boss Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing a player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and fined him over 10,000 euros ($10,434).

The court, however, acquitted him of charges of coercion.

Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence for Rubiales, 47, in a case that caused heated debate in Spain about sexism in women’s football and wider Spanish society.

The court said in a statement that it had also acquitted Rubiales’ three co-defendants who were accused of attempting to coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss, at the 2023 World Cup awards ceremony in Sydney, was consensual.

The ensuing furore overshadowed Spain’s victory in the tournament.

Rubiales has maintained through this month’s trial that Hermoso had consented to be kissed amid the celebrations.

The ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200-meter (yard) radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year.

The fine was set at 20 euros a day over an 18-month period.

The lawyer for Hermoso was not immediately available for comment. (Reuters/NAN)