The Spanish player kissed on the lips by the country’s soccer president at the Women’s World Cup final has appeared in court to testify in the sexual assault case against the former official.

Jenni Hermoso was at the Madrid court on Tuesday (local time) to give her version of the kiss by Luis Rubiales following Spain’s victory over England in the final in Sydney in August.

“Everything went well,” Hermoso said afterwards.

“The judicial process will continue its course, and thanks for the support that many of you had given to me.”

The incident sparked outrage across the soccer world and ignited one of the worst crises in the history of the sport in Spain. It also led to a boycott of the national team by the World Cup-winning players, and to the eventual resignation of Rubiales despite his denial of wrongdoing and his allegation that the kiss was consensual.

The testimony was behind closed doors. Hermoso was expected to reiterate in court her allegations that the kiss was unwanted and Rubiales and his staff tried to pressure her and her family to downplay the incident that tarnished Spain’s first Women’s World Cup title.

Spanish state prosecutors accused Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion.

The judge is also hearing testimony from other World Cup-winning players, coaches and federation officials, before deciding whether to start a trial.

Rubiales previously denied wrongdoing to the judge, who imposed a restraining order on him not to contact Hermoso.

The 33-year-old Hermoso, the record scorer for Spain’s women’s team, was one of the New Year’s Eve presenters on public television on Saturday, calling for a 2024 with more equality.

Based on a sexual consent law passed last year, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty. The law eliminated the difference between “sexual harassment” and “sexual assault,” sanctioning any unconsented sexual act.

FIFA banned Rubiales for three years. He resigned as the Spanish federation president and as a UEFA vice president on September 10. One day later, UEFA thanked Rubiales for his service.

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-AAP