The Spanish soccer star Jennifer Hermoso has filed an official complaint against Luis Rubiales, the head of the country’s soccer federation, after he gave her an unsolicited kiss in the wake of her team’s World Cup victory in Australia last month, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Prosecutors in Spain had opened an investigation into whether Mr. Rubiales could be charged with committing sexual assault during a medal ceremony following Spain’s victory over England in the World Cup final on Aug. 20.
Mr. Rubiales has defended his conduct and said that Ms. Hermoso had initiated the exchange, but she has maintained that she did not consent to the kiss. Mr. Rubiales has also resisted calls to resign from the Spanish soccer federation.
The kiss triggered a widespread debate over sexism in sport, most notably in Spain, which is battling a deep-rooted, while declining, culture of machismo.
