World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso nominated for FIFA’s The Best Women’s Player of the Year award alongside Ballon d’Or-winning team-mate Aitana Bonmati… weeks after being called to testify in Luis Rubiales’ sexual assault investigation

• The 33-year-old was previously honoured in GQ’s Men of the Year award list 
• Bonmati and Colombian starlet Linda Caicedo round out the FIFA nominees 
• Do Man United have what it takes to exploit Liverpool’s defensive vulnerability? It’s All Kicking Off

World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso has been nominated for FIFA’s The Best Women’s Player of the Year. 

The No 10 claimed the World Cup trophy in Australia with Spain in August after beating Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses 1-0 in the final in Sydney, but the awards ceremony and subsequent aftermath of the historic win was marred by an incident involving former head of the Spanish FA Luis Rubiales. 

Hermoso was forcefully kissed on the lips by Rubiales whilst accepting her winners medal, with his actions sparking widespread controversy despite his assertion that the kiss had been consensual. 

The CF Pachuca forward denied that she had given her consent speaking out in the weeks after the event, and Rubiales later resigned his position and was handed a three-year ban from football activities by FIFA. 

A restraining order was served to Rubiales in September and he is currently banned from being within 200 metres of the 33-year-old. 

Jenni Hermoso has been nominated for Women’s Player of the Year in FIFA’s The Best awards

The World Cup winner with Spain in the summer, Hermoso plays for Mexico’s CF Pachuca

Hermoso’s World Cup win was marred by an incident involving former Spanish FA head Luis Rubiales where the now-disgraced official appeared to forcefully kiss the player

Your browser does not support iframes.

Alongside Hermoso’s nomination, her Spain team-mate – and this year’s Ballon d’Or winner – Aitana Bonmati has also received a nod from international football’s governing body. 

Breakout Colombian starlet and Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo rounds out the shortlist, with Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi the nominees for Men’s Player of the Year. 

At the end of November, Hermoso was asked to testify in court in the investigation into sexual assault charges against Rubiales. 

Multiple figures across Spanish football have been summoned to provide evidence, including Hermoso’s team-mate and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexis Putellas.

Prosecutors presented the lawsuit to Spain’s National Court in Madrid two days after Hermoso formally accused Rubiales of sexual assault.

Also nominated is Hermoso’s national team-mate and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati

Rounding out the pack is Colombian breakout starlet and Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo

According to a sexual consent law passed last year, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty of sexual assault.

Hermoso has described the kiss as ‘an impulsive, sexist act, out of place and without any type of consent on my part.’

In FIFA’s published findings on the incident, chair of England’s Football Association Debbie Hewitt claimed that Rubiales had also acted inappropriately towards two England players – making her feel ‘deeply uncomfortable’.

Hewitt alleged that the Spaniard ‘cupped and stroked the face of the English player Laura Coombs’ before ‘he seemingly forcefully kissed Lucy Bronze on her face’. 

Rubiales responded by calling her a ‘hypocrite’ and suggested she was doing her role a disservice. 

Hermoso was previously honoured in GQ’s Men of the Year awards, where she was hailed for her role in Spain’s World Cup win as well as her courage in speaking up after the incident. 

Rubiales has a restraining order which bans him from going within 200 metres of Hermoso

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify

Your browser does not support iframes.

The 33-year-old told GQ how the aftermath of the incident had made her briefly ‘forget’ she was a football player

Hermoso later described how Rubiales behaviour and the ensuing controversy and backlash had made her ‘forget’ she was a footballer. 

‘For a while I forgot I was a footballer,’ Hermoso shared. ‘But you go back to a training session, to the pitch, wearing your kit, and you try to give the best version of yourself again.

‘Being a Taurus makes me see that I have to fight, but also to protect myself. If I want something, I go after it no matter how many times I fail and knock myself against the wall.

‘It has helped me to achieve everything I have set out to achieve in the world of football.’ 

Source: Read Full Article