Marca newspaper obtained access to a set of conversations involving the pair Jennifer Hermoso and Rubén Rivera, who at the time held the role of marketing director for the Royal Spanish Football Federation. These exchanges occurred during a trip to Ibiza following the team’s World Championship victory in Australia. The newly surfaced discussions shed light on the dynamic between the player and the federation official amid the wider backdrop of intense scrutiny surrounding the federation’s leadership and communications strategy.
In a formal statement to the prosecutor, the player and her companion provided a detailed account of events during that period. They contended that the federation head office had urged them to present testimony that would cast the situation in a more favorable light toward Luis Rubiales, one of the federation’s key figures, with the aim of softening public perception and reducing the perceived severity of the events. The narrative presented to authorities suggested coordinated efforts to influence the timeline and tone of the player’s testimony.
Rivera testified before the National Court that the Ibiza visit with Hermoso spanned 48 hours and remained strictly professional in nature. He asserted that there was no coercion or undue pressure exerted on the player as had been claimed during earlier statements. To substantiate his position, Rivera provided prosecutors with a collection of WhatsApp screenshots that appeared to be from the relevant period. The messages did not reference Rubiales at the time of their exchange, according to his account, and were offered as evidence of a routine, work-related dialogue rather than anything coercive.
Messages in Ibiza
Hermoso later described the Ibiza trip, which occurred from August 22 to 24, as a situation marked by pressure and coercion. In her account to the prosecutor, she recounted an interaction in which Rivera allegedly contacted Miguel García, the Director of the Federation’s Integrity Committee, and suggested that a Zoom session should be arranged to convey the truth about what had happened. The player referred to the kiss as a foolish moment, stressing that it did not reflect broader relationships or actions beyond that instantaneous encounter.
According to the testimony, a request was made to determine whether she should participate and what information should be shared. She indicated that Rivera was with her during the exchange and that a phone call was subsequently arranged. After receiving the call, she described feeling fatigued from sleeplessness and travel as she arrived in Ibiza, and she preferred to be left alone. The impression conveyed was that the process of communication had a tight schedule and a direct objective, which contributed to the stress surrounding the situation.
Rivera, for his part, argued that the text messages involving Hermoso reflected a casual tone. He pointed to expressions exchanged during the trip, such as a light-hearted remark about making magic and casual references that suggested a normal, informal rapport among colleagues and friends. He highlighted exchanges where others were mentioned in a relaxed, familiar manner, including mentions about inviting a friend to join the trip or casual remarks about clothing, which he stated did not imply any improper pressure or coercive intent. The defense emphasized that the tone of the messages aligned with ordinary social interaction rather than a coordinated effort to influence outcomes or events.