Rubiales’ chief of staff denies before the judge that he witnessed pressure on Jenni Hermoso

The judge of the National Court Francisco de Jorge has taken statements from three witnesses about what happened after the women’s team won the World Cup on August 20, when Rubiales he kissed Jenni Hermosowho reported having been pressured to say publicly that it was consensual.

They are who was Rubiales’s cabinet director, José María Timón; the psychologist of the women’s team, Javier Lopez Vallejoand the person responsible for compliance of the Federation, Javier Puyol.

According to EFE, sources present in the statement informed EFE that the first two have denied being aware of whether there was pressure on both the player and the press officer of the women’s team. Patricia Perezwho reported having been pressured in the statement she gave in Rubiales’ office on August 23, in the internal procedure of the Federation that ended up exonerating its former president.

Timón, according to sources, has denied having witnessed any pressure, while the team’s psychologist has refused to know anything about it.

For his part, the person in charge of “compliance” (regulatory compliance) of the Federation, Javier Puyol, has slipped that there could have been pressure on Patricia Pérez in the internal investigation of the Integrity department of the RFEF, which led to a exculpatory report for Rubiales without listening to Jenni Hermoso.

Next Tuesday the round of witnesses will continue with the soccer player Laia Codina and the president of the National Women’s Football Committee, Rafael del Amo.

Rubiales is the main person investigated in this case for sexual assault and coercion, but not the only one; Three of his collaborators when he was in charge of the RFEF are also accused of this pressure on the player. They are the former coach Jorge Vilda, the head of marketing of the RFEF, Rubén Rivera; and the director of the men’s team, Albert Luque.