The kiss happened in Sydney in August 2023. In front of cameras. In front of her teammates. In front of the world. She said it wasn't consensual. Immediately. Publicly. Without hesitation. What happened next was designed to break her.
The Spanish football federation closed ranks around him. Former teammates were pressured to support his version of events. His allies called her a liar. His mother locked herself in a church and went on hunger strike in protest at how her son was being treated. D3ath threats arrived at Jenni's door. She didn't change her story. She filed a criminal complaint. Testified in court. Sat in front of a judge and described exactly what had happened to her on the happiest day of her career.
Luis Rubiales resigned in disgrace. Was banned from football by FIFA. In February 2025 a Spanish court found him guilty of s3xual a55ault. The judge ruled that a non-consensual kiss is s3xual a55ault. Period. She held her ground against an institution that tried to destroy her. And the institution fell. Her name is Jenni Hermoso. And she never changed her story once.
Her name is Tori Penso & she became the first female American referee to work a men’s World Cup, and just the 2nd woman ever. Penso officiated in the NWSL, then in 2020 became the first woman to referee a regular season MLS match in 20 years. Penso officiated for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final, the first American referee to do so. Trailblazer. #worldcup #usa
@downthebyline This probably is not an immediate fix or a long-term fix but when you have no CDM’s and an abundance of center backs for some reason, I feel like the obvious choice is to go the Julie Ertz route and see what happens