The trip to Ibiza with which the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) rewarded the players after winning the World Cup became a scene of anguish and despair for Jennifer Hermoso, according to the testimony of Alexia Putellas in the trial against Luis Rubiales.
In her statement by videoconference before the National Court, the FC Barcelona player said that, during the stay in Ibiza, Hermoso was “very overwhelmed” and burst into tears on several occasions. “We tried to make sure she was fine, that she enjoyed herself, but at one point she told us: ‘I don’t know what I’m doing here,'” Putellas recounted.
The player’s words confirm that the pressures on Hermoso were not limited to the flight back to Spain, but extended to the celebration on the island. According to Putellas, her teammate was mentally “no longer there” at the celebration and, despite the group’s attempts to cheer her up, her expression reflected exhaustion and sadness.
Putellas also recalled a significant episode at the parade organized in Ibiza in honor of the world champions: “I saw her crying again. She put on her sunglasses and tried to hide it, but she was visibly affected.”
The player’s testimony adds to those of other teammates who have pointed to the existence of coercion to minimize the aggression of Rubiales, accused of sexual assault and coercion after the non-consensual kiss to Hermoso in the World Cup final.
