Jenni Hermoso returned to Mexico to resume playing with her club team, which pledged to help her find “normality” after the Spaniard was kissed without consent by the president of the Spanish football federation after the Women’s World Cup final.
Hermoso, who plays for Pachuca in the Mexican league, has formally accused Luis Rubiales of sexual assault for kissing her on the lips, Spain’s prosecutors’ office said Wednesday.
Rubiales, the now-suspended president of the federation, kissed Hermoso during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title on August 20 in Sydney, Australia.
The 33-year-old Hermoso arrived at dawn in Mexico City from Madrid and continued to Pachuca about 90 kilometres to the southwest, to rejoin the Tuzas.
Hermoso has not made face-to-face statements to the media since the final and will maintain that position in Mexico, at least for now.
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“For the moment, our player will not appear before the media, as she will be 100% focused on resuming her activities and returning to normality in her day-to-day life,” the club said in a statement. “We appreciate your understanding and respect for her privacy.” Pachuca has a match Sunday against Pumas in the 10th round of the Apertura tournament. It is uncertain whether Hermoso will be in the lineup.
“Jenni Hermoso has all the institutional, emotional and personal support of the Pachuca football club to continue her activities in the best way with the Tuzas,” the statement added.
In addition to Pachuca, the women’s Liga MX welcomed the world champion to Mexico on social media, as did other teams in the league.
The Tuzas are in 10th place among 18 teams in the first division after nine rounds.
After a long career in Europe with spells at Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, Hermoso joined Pachuca last summer. She scored 18 goals in 20 games and helped the team reach the final where it lost to Club America earlier this year.
