February 5 – Spain men’s coach Luis de la Fuente told the Luis Rubiales ‘kissgate’ trial on Tuesday that he did not get involved in discussions related to Jenni Hermoso after she was kissed on the lips by the former Spanish FA (RFEF) boss at the presentation ceremony.
On the second day of the trial in which former Spanish federation president faces charges of sexual assault and coercion, De la Fuente denied having participated in a meeting at the RFEF headquarters to draw up a strategy to protect the now disgraced Rubiales from any possible accusations from Hermoso.
Despite other witnesses having said De la Fuente was present in Rubiales’s office on August 25, five days after the infamous kiss that made worldwide headlines, the coach said he had been in a separate office and not involved in the Rubiales’ effort to save his skin.
“I only went to talk about football,” De la Fuente said after being warned that as a witness in a criminal trial he was obliged to tell the truth or face an accusation of perjury.
De la Fuente said that he had slept most of the time on the flight from Australia back to Spain, during which some members of the RFEF party, including Rubiales, had apparently discussed a strategy to downplay the incident.
“Nobody talked to me or asked me about” a possible statement, he insisted.
Rubiales, who denies the charges against him and has long insisted the kiss was consensual, is set to give evidence later in the trial.
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