Luis Rubiales, who is the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), is on trial for sexual assault following a kiss he planted on Jenni Hermoso following Spain's win at the 2023 World Cup.

He is also being accused of coercing her to admitting to the public that the kiss was consensual, which Hermoso has repeatedly denied.

Despite her denial, Rubiales has insisted to Spain's National Court that he did not kiss her against her will.

Rubiales Insists He Asked Permission

According to the BBC, Rubiales told the National Court that "We were champions, we were thanking each other. She pressed me very hard by the waist and then I asked her whether I could give her a kiss and she said yes."

At a different point during the interrogation, Rubiales referred to the moment with Hermoso as "something completely spontaneous."

When asked whether or not he normally gives people kisses, the BBC reported that the 47-year-old said that he felt the occasion of winning the World Cup warranted it. He added that he knew Hermoso for a long period of time also warranted a kiss.

Hermoso Denies Giving Consent

While Rubiales has continuously insisted that the kiss was consensual, Hermoso has said the opposite since the incident took place.

"My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn't happen in any social or work setting," she previously told the court.

Hermoso has also accused her former boss of forcing her to admit publicly that the kiss was consensual, which she said no to.

The trial is scheduled to run until Feb. 19. Should he be convicted of the accusations against him, Rubiales may face time in jail. Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of two and a half years.