Wiegman and Russo ‘stand in solidarity’ with Spain team following Luis Rubiales verdict | OneFootball

England boss Sarina Wiegman praised Jenni Hermoso’s “remarkable courage” after Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault.

Last week, former Spanish Football Federation president Rubiales was convicted of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso without her consent in the aftermath of Spain’s 2023 World Cup win, with the court ruling he pay a fine of €10,000.

But he was acquitted for coercion along with three of his former colleagues who were also on trial – Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF)’s former head of marketing, and Albert Luque, former sporting director – a decision Spain forward Hermoso intends to appeal. Rubiales, meanwhile, also said he would appeal his guilty verdict.

The Lionesses are set to play the world champions at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, ahead of which Wiegman and striker Alessia Russo lauded the bravery of the players and pledged solidarity to the Spain team.

Russo said: “We have sat in solidarity with them since the moment that it began, and it’s really a shame that they’ve had to go through this.

“But we hope that it makes change going further forward. It’s a testament to the players to be so brave to speak out, but also to still be performing at the level that they are. I’ve got teammates that have been through it and it’s been tough, but they’ve acted with so much class through it all.

“It’s a real shame what they’ve been through, but they’ve been professional and have never let their football standard slip. So, some massive respect to them all.

“We stand with them and back them all the way.”

Wiegman added: “It shows how brave they are. Spain are a very good team, but they have also shown resilience and they’re so brave.

“I think we have to keep talking about it, unfortunately. But we have to keep telling the world that we stand in solidarity with them.

“We want to celebrate football and we should be talking about performances. Unfortunately, we are talking about performances, but also about this. And I hope that soon we can focus on just football because that’s our job and that’s what we love most.”

England face the world champions at Wembley on Wednesday night, in their first meeting since Spain defeated the Lionesses in the 2023 World Cup final in Sydney.

After a disappointing 1-1 draw with Portugal to open their Nations League campaign, they will be hoping to record their first victory of 2025, in front of more than 55,000 fans.

Spain came from 2-0 down to beat Belgium 3-2 with two late goals in their opening match, and the match up between the two EURO 2025 favourites is an exciting prospect for both sides.

Russo added: “[Arsenal teammate Laia] Codina was so buzzing when she found out the game was at Wembley, so it’s nice for them to come to our home.

“We’re really proud and grateful to get to play here so often, and it  really does feel like a home for us with the fans and just the energy around the place.

“It’s nice that we get to share that with other players that deserve to be playing in these stadiums too and it will be really nice to be tested against the best at home.”