Hermoso files complaint over Rubiales’ kiss

MADRID: Spain player Jenni Hermoso has filed a criminal complaint over suspended football chief Luis Rubiales´s kiss on her lips at the Women´s World Cup final, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors at Spain´s top criminal court opened a preliminary investigation last week into whether Rubiales could be charged with the crime of "sexual assault" over the unsolicited kiss.

Hermoso´s complaint, which was filed on Tuesday, boosts the chances that the court will press ahead with the case and Rubiales will be charged. The prosecutor´s office of the National Court will now formally present its complaint against Rubiales "as soon as possible", the prosecutor´s office said Wednesday in a brief statement.

Under Spanish law, sexual assault includes a wide array of crimes from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different penalties. The punishment for a non-consensual kiss can range from a fine to four years in prison, according to a spokeswoman for the prosecutor´s office.

Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Rubiales, 46, sparked a worldwide backlash after forcibly kissing Hermoso during the medal ceremony following Spain´s triumph in Sydney on August 20.