Spain’s former soccer federation boss Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent, and has been fined over 10,000 euros ($A16,000) but the high court has acquitted him of coercion.

Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence for Rubiales in a case that sparked a debate in Spain about sexism in women’s football and wider Spanish society.

“The ruling bans Rubiales from going within a 200-metre radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year,” the court said in a statement on Thursday.

Rubiales, 47, was accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the mouth.

He was also accused — along with three other former soccer federation officials — of attempting to then coerce her into saying the kiss, at the victory ceremony after Spain’s win in the 2023 World Cup final in Sydney, was consensual.