Soccer star Jenni Hermoso has told a court one of the happiest moments of her life was "tainted" when Luis Rubiales, then-president of the Spanish Football Federation, planted a kiss on her at the Women's World Cup.
Mr Rubiales, 47, is accused of sexual assault and coercion over allegations he tried to pressure the Spanish footballer into declaring that the kiss, which took place shortly after her team triumphed at the August 2023 tournament in Sydney, was consensual.
Ms Hermoso began giving evidence at the trial at Spanish National Court, in Madrid, on Monday, local time, telling the jury that she "never" consented and the act made her feel disrespected.
"I didn't hear or understand anything. The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth," she said.
"I knew I was being kissed by my boss and that should not happen in any social or work environment," she said.
"I think it was a moment that tainted one of the happiest days of my life.
Ms Hermoso is the first to give evidence at the highly-anticipated trial, which is expected to last three weeks and call 27 witnesses, including fellow players and managers.
She gave evidence for two hours and was asked about a video Mr Rubiales asked her to make, when the team was travelling back to Spain, addressing the kiss.
"I told him (Rubiales) that I hadn't caused anything, that I hadn't wanted to do that moment and that I wasn't the one to do any video, that if he wanted it, he should do it.
"He asked me to please do it. He asked me to please do it for his two daughters who were in the back of the plane crying, who were having a very bad time, and I told him that I was sorry all the time. I said I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do it", she said.
Mr Rubiales, the team's former coach, Jorge Vilda, federation marketing director Ruben Rivera and the sports director Albert Luque are also facing charges of conspiring to coerce her into declaring the kiss was consensual, which they deny.
All were dismissed by the Spanish Federation when the striker came forward with allegations.
The four men facing allegations for the most part held blank expresses and at times crossed their arms, while she did not glance at them.
Mr Rubiales took notes throughout Ms Hermoso's testimony and at times exchanged looks with the others accused.
Hermoso cross-examined by multiple lawyers
Lawyers of all four men questioned Ms Hermoso.
"What I have already said is that when he grabs my ears effusively, I can no longer hear or see anything. I'm looking at him at eye level. And the next thing was the kiss," she told the court.
Luis Rubiales's lawyer Olga Tubau questioned Ms Hermoso over her actions after the kiss, asking why she would say goodbye to him if she didn't like his actions.
"Well, I am in a protocol act, as I said, and I greeted everyone, I greeted the Queen, I greeted her daughter, I greeted Luis Rubiales and I followed the protocol, which was to be a national team player. I went on my way, and it doesn't mean that I didn't feel that disgust or that rejection when I noticed or felt what had happened," she said.
She also revealed she received death threats in the wake of the scandal which prompted her to leave the country and play for Mexico instead.
"I had to leave Madrid with all my family because I noticed, and I say this from the bottom of my heart, because for a moment I was afraid to walk down the street and look around all the time to see if someone was chasing me. I received threats, death threats.
When the judge asked her if the threats came from the accused, she replied "no".
"I received death threats and messages of all kinds. And we had to leave Madrid because the situation was untenable having 24 hours in cars and cameras under my house", she said.
The federation's press officer, Patricia Perez also testified.
Ms Perez backed up Jenni Hermoso's account of what happened in the hours after the kiss, specifically accusations that the federation concocted a statement from Ms Hermoso and sent it to the press without her permission.
She told the court she felt pressure from Mr Rubiales and the federation to get Ms Hermoso to sign a statement which downplayed the kiss.
The court heard the federation prepared 'answers' for Ms Perez to give to an integrity committee, which was due to look at the incident.
She said the prepared lines included a false claim that Ms Perez had spoken to Ms Hermoso, who played down the incident.
Kiss a reckoning for Spanish soccer
Mr Rubiales initially apologised for being over exuberant during the celebrations.
He said in the wake of the incident in 2023: "It was without bad intention at a time with a lot of excitement."
He denies criminal charges, however, and has said that the kiss was consensual.
The behaviour of Mr Rubiales sparked global outrage and demonstrations on the streets, as Spaniards protested his behaviour as an act of misogyny, something many claim is deeply-ingrained in Spanish society.
It proved a tipping point for female football in Spain, exposing deep running tensions between the players and their managers.
The court documents filed by Spain's public prosecutor, which underpin the case, set out a timeline of allegations that started behind closed doors in Sydney before exploding over subsequent days in the global spotlight, when the kissd received worldwide attention.
The criminal offences allege the four men harassed Ms Hermoso from the moment she left the soccer pitch after the incident until the former president was provisionally suspended by FIFA days later on August 26.
It's also alleged that they pressured her family and friends.
If found guilty, the Spanish prosecutor has recommended 18-month prison terms for all four defendants for coercion and an additional year for Mr Rubiales for sexual assault.
Spain's victory over England at Stadium Australia in Sydney came at one of the biggest sporting events in history but their win was overshadowed by the kiss which has dominated public commentary since.
The trial is the most high-profile test case of Spain's tough new sexual assault laws, which enforce prison time for anyone who commits an act found to be non-consensual.
The legal overhaul was triggered by nationwide protests over a gang rape at a festival in 2016.
