MADRID, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales on Tuesday insisted that he asked permission from Jenni Hermoso before kissing her on the lips in the celebrations following the Spanish women's team's conquest of the Women's World Cup in Australia in 2023.

Rubiales is in Madrid on the sixth day of his trial for sexual assault and attempting to pressure Hermoso into changing her story, and faces a possible jail term of over two years in prison if found guilty.

On the opening day of the trial on February 3, Hermoso insisted Rubiales' action had taken her by surprise saying that the former RFEF boss had given her a hug: "the next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth. I didn't hear or understand anything."

"My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn't happen in any social or work setting," she continued, adding the kiss had "tainted one of the happiest days of my life."

Rubiales' account on Tuesday was very different to the player's: "We were thanking each other, she pressed me very hard around the waist, and then I asked her whether I could give her a kiss and she said yes," he said.

He said the kiss was "completely spontaneous," and admitted that he had "made a mistake" and his behavior was "not appropriate," but insisted he had not committed any crime.

The trial is due to continue until February 19. Enditem

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