The statement of Ana Ecube, friend of Jenny Hermoso and ex-football player, has revealed new details about the alleged pressures exerted by Luis Rubiales ‘ entourage in Ibiza after the controversy over the non-consensual kiss.
In her testimony before the Audiencia Nacional, Ecube stated that Rubén Rivera, former marketing director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), tried to contact Hermoso insistently during her stay on the island, assuring that his intention was not to help her, but to harm her.
Insistence and pressure in Ibiza
The facts date back to August 2023, when the women’s national team celebrated in Ibiza the victory in the World Cup. According to Ecube’s testimony, as soon as she arrived at the hotel, Rivera approached Hermoso to tell her that the Federation’s Integrity Department was trying to contact her. The player, who at the time had no battery in her phone, was reluctant to talk. However, at the insistence of the former Marketing Director, she ended up agreeing to give him her cell phone so that he could charge it and receive the call.
According to the witness, Hermoso conveyed that he would not participate in any statement until he had consulted with his family and his agents. However, the pressures did not cease. Later, while the group was enjoying a sunset, Rivera again insisted that the soccer player should speak with Albert Luque, former director of the men’s national team. Hermoso refused and, overwhelmed by the situation, burst into tears at the pressure she was being subjected to.
A “hostile” environment and pressure from the RFEF
Ecube reported that, seeing her friend in a state of nervousness, she decided to intercede with Luque. She found him in the hotel lobby, where, according to her testimony, the former sports director was upset by Hermoso’s refusal to meet with him. “We are friends, he is not going down to meet the sporting director,” Luque reproached him.
In response, Ecube told him that as a friend he should respect Hermoso’s space and accused him that the Federation had not known how to handle the crisis. “If Rubiales had asked for forgiveness from the beginning, the situation would not have escalated,” she told him. In response, Luque tried to persuade her by assuring her that “Luis Rubiales returns favors very well” and that if they collaborated, they would not lack work.
The ex-footballer has stated that the atmosphere in Ibiza was “quite hostile” and that Hermoso was not enjoying the trip, as she was on a “roller coaster of emotions”. She assures that the footballer felt alone and without support from the RFEF at a particularly complicated time for her career.
A key trial at the Audiencia Nacional
Ecube’s statements come in the context of the trial against Luis Rubiales, who faces a request for 2 years and 6 months in prison for sexual assault and coercion. Along with him, Rubén Rivera, Albert Luque and former coach Jorge Vilda are also on trial, for whom the Prosecutor’s Office is requesting a sentence of 1 year and 6 months for alleged coercion.
In addition, in the same session, Francisco Javier Puyol, former head of compliance of the RFEF, testified, confirming that Patricia Perez, head of press for the women’s national team, reported having received pressure to change her version of what happened with Rubiales’ kiss.
The trial will continue on Monday, February 11, with the defendants scheduled to testify on Tuesday, February 12. In the meantime, Ecube’s testimony reinforces Hermoso’s version of the pressures he received in the days following the World Cup final and the RFEF’s attempt to control the account of events.
