Gavin Grey: UK correspondent on Luis Rubiales going on trial over World Cup kiss

The former president of Spain's football federation, Luis Rubiales, is set to go on trial later today.

Rubiales stands accused of sexual assault for kissing the player Jenni Hermoso, in a case which has fed into wider discussions about sexism and consent.

 UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains what we can expect in this case.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Kevin gray is a UK correspondent. Gevin, thanks for being
with us this evening. The former president of Spain's football
federation is going on trial later today. What's this about.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Yeah, well, you'll remember run back in the twenty twenty
three Women's Football World Cup that Spain won, and on
the winner's podium, the former president of the football federation,
Louis Rubialas, grabbed the head of one of the star players,
Jenny Hamoso, and by the head, he grabbed her with

(00:34):
both hands either side of her cheek and then well
the argument is, the acuation is he then pulled her
head towards his and kissed her fully on the lips. Now,
afterwards hermoso, the player, said the kiss had not been consensual.
Rubialis insisted it had been, and so he's now in
court today, a very unusual court, accused of sexual assault

(00:55):
for kissing the player. And it sort of led as
an issue about sexas and consent discussions in Spain and
all triggered really after this, and indeed it triggered ruby
Aalis's record resignation. It entered the political arena. The Prime
Minister said that they really needed to look at gender

(01:16):
equality and ensure consent sexual relations, which in some aspects
Spain was seen to be behind. So who would have
thought that in celebrating the victory for Spain in the
Women's World Cup in twenty twenty three, one man would
now end up in court for effectively, well allegedly assaulting
a player on the winner's podium.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Quite extraordinary, it is, especially because we all witnessed it, right, Yeah, yeah,
really strange. Like Donald Trump is the terrorff issue. We've
been talking about this all afternoon. Imports from the EU,
he says will definitely happen following what he's done with
Canada and Mexico and China. How's that landing, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Where you can imagine, not particularly well. It's been debated
for so long about will he do it, won't he
do it? And as Donald trumpbenters talks shortly with Canada
and Mexico, he's actually threatening that he could ratchet up
those tariffs he's issued on those countries further if and
when they retaliate. The due to come in of course
in about a day's time. So there is lots of

(02:18):
talk about this here in the EU, what it'll mean,
and of course to the UK. So of the EU,
he said, quote, they've really taken advantage of us. They
don't take our cars, they don't take our farm products.
They take almost nothing, and we take everything. He says,
millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products.
The reporter then said, look, are you you know? Is

(02:40):
there a timeline? When's that going to happen? He said,
it's going to be pretty soon, and then carried on
with his famous sort of stance that the US has
been ripped off by virtually every country in the world,
But what about the UK? Well that was slightly different,
he said. There were issues, he said, And yeah, that's
a possibility. He said, But the Prime minister here Sakis

(03:02):
starmer Had and I love this bridge, Ryan Bridge, he says,
kist arm has been very nice.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Bizarre. Well, it's all about relationships, isn't it. I mean
with Trump, that's the that's the key to the castle,
I guess. And speaking of kis Damer, he's heading to Brussels.
This is for the European Union Union leaders meeting.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Yeah, and lots of people who voted for Brexit, believe
in Brexit, don't like this cozying back up to the
European Union. They fear it's re entering the Union via
the back law. But this is an important meeting. It
is the first time a British Prime minister has done
this since Brexit. He's heading over the English Channel. The
most of the discussions worry about the economy. There'll be

(03:47):
defense and security cooperation. He's also meeting the NATO Secretary
General Mark Rutter. But what Sakis Starmer is calling a
reset between the UK and the European Union, well around
plenty of people here are wondering if it's more. Will
they really not discuss the economy at all. Ministers have
already said they want to see a better relationship on crime, defense, security,

(04:11):
but also trade and will this potentially be the start
of some sort of rapproch one about that it was
never going to happen under Boris Johnson, it was never
going to happen under Liz Truss. Rishi soon Act seem
to be warmer to the idea, but was aware that
many in his political party as Prime Minister would not
have really allowed this at all. S Kis Farmer coming

(04:32):
at it from a different angle. Let's see what happens.
But it is this argument about perhaps closer links over
trade that is going to be extremely, extremely divisive here
in the UK.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
It sounds like Devin, thank you so much for that.
Gavin Gray, are UK correspondent. For more from Hither Duplessy
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