The world had seen the kiss by Luis Rubiales – the fallout overshadowing Spain’s World Cup triumph and the high point of Jenni Hermoso’s career.
What the Madrid court heard in depth was the alleged attempt by Rubiales and his Spanish football federation associates to undermine the star player and dismiss her claims.
And why was Hermoso seen laughing – still celebratory on the outside after Spain’s victory over England in Sydney?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ex-football chief on trial over World Cup kiss
“My laughing and yelling was nothing to do with how I was actually feeling as a result of the kiss,” she recalled.
Inside she felt like crying. There was also a determination not to be denied the chance to celebrate and somehow take away from her teammates’ success. And just shock.
“I couldn’t react because we were euphoric,” Hermoso testified.
The court was taken back to the statement the team’s press officers pressured Hermoso into endorsing as they prepared to fly home, backing the FA chief.
“Do whatever you want,” she recalled responding in frustration.
A “mutual, totally spontaneous gesture” is how it described the kiss. It was a statement later disowned by her when she denounced the aggressive act.
An attempt by Rubiales to film a video together was rejected by Hermoso, the court heard.
The former president of Spain’s soccer federation Luis Rubiales sits in a courtroom. Pic: AP
Back in Madrid, Rubiales complained he was a victim of a “witch hunt”, further undermining Hermoso.
Calls to stand down were defied until he was forced out of the Spanish FA and banned from football for three years.
It created a moment of reckoning for Spanish football and the country as a whole over its response to sexism.
Next week, Rubiales and three co-defendants from the Spanish FA are due to testify in Madrid as they deny wrongdoing.
Jenni Hermoso is seeking justice, hoping to get her life back and reclaim the World Cup win as a moment of joy.
