MADRID (Reuters) - Former Spain women's soccer coach Jorge Vilda told a court on Wednesday that he attempted to persuade player Jenni Hermoso to downplay the kiss on the mouth his boss Luis Rubiales gave her at the 2023 World Cup but denied he had tried to strong-arm her.
Vilda, who is on trial on charges of attempting to coerce Hermoso into publicly saying the kiss was consensual, said he spoke to her brother Rafael on the flight back to Spain from Sydney following Spain's victory over England in the final. He said he was worried the kiss was gathering a lot of media attention.
