Spain’s former football federation boss Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and ordered to pay a fine of €10,800 (£8,942), Spain’s High Court has ruled.

He was acquitted of coercion.

As Spain’s players received their medals after defeating England in Sydney to win the 2023 World Cup, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips.

The incident triggered protests and calls for Rubiales’s resignation.

The ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200-meter radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year, the court said in a statement.

Prosecutors had demanded a prison sentence for Rubiales, who last week told a court he was “absolutely sure” Hermoso had given her consent before he kissed her.

He described the kiss as an “act of affection”, adding that in the moment it was “something completely spontaneous”.

In her testimony earlier this month, Hermoso insisted that she had not given Rubiales permission and that the incident had “stained one of the happiest days of my life”.

Rubiales was accused of sexual assault and of trying coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss had been consensual.

The incident was witnessed by millions of television viewers and an entire stadium after the Spanish women’s team won the 2023 World Cup.

The ensuing uproar gave momentum to a “Me Too”-style movement in the Spanish women’s game, in which players sought to combat sexism and achieve parity with their male peers.

Rubiales resigned in September 2023 following weeks of resisting pressure to stand down, and after Fifa suspended him and Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation.

Emma Raducanu was targeted by a man who “exhibited fixated behaviour” during her second-round loss to Karolina Muchova at the Dubai Tennis Championships, the WTA said.

An emotional Raducanu, 22, was seen hiding behind the umpire’s chair two games into the defeat by Muchova.

“On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” said the Women’s Tennis Association.

“This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday and subsequently ejected.”

The man has been banned from all WTA events, “pending a threat assessment”.

Raducanu alerted the chair umpire to the situation and was comforted by 14th seed Muchova as the individual was removed from court three.

The Briton returned to the court to applause from the crowd and continued playing, but fell to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 defeat.

In 2022, a man who walked 23 miles to the London home of Raducanu was given a five-year restraining order.

The WTA said: “Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events.

“The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support.

“We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”

The Dubai Tennis Championships said it “fully supported” the WTA’s statement, and subsequent action taken by the governing body of the women’s game.

“The tournament security team worked in collaboration with the WTA security team to proactively identify and immediately eject the individual in question from the stadium,” said tournament organisers.

“We support the WTA’s decision to ban the individual in question from all WTA events, and share the tour’s longstanding commitment to player welfare, safety and wellbeing.

“We thank Emma for her contribution to this year’s tournament and look forward to welcoming her back next year.”

Rapper A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty of firing a gun at a former friend.

A jury in Los Angeles acquitted the musician, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, on two felony assault charges that carried up to 24 years in prison.

Terell Ephron claimed the Grammy-nominated hip-hop star opened fire at him during an argument on a Hollywood street on 6 November 2021, grazing his knuckles with one of the shots.

Mr Mayers, who is also a fashion mogul and the longtime partner of pop star Rihanna, denied the charges, arguing that the weapon was a prop gun and that his former friend, who calls himself A$AP Relli, was only after money.

As the first not-guilty verdict was read on Tuesday, the court rang with screams and clapping. Mr Mayers rushed towards his family and partner Rihanna, who were seated behind him. He dived over a wooden barrier to embrace them.

He hugged his lawyers and appeared to have tears in his eyes as the second not-guilty verdict was read.

“Thank God for saving my life,” Mr Mayers said aloud. He thanked members of the 12-person jury.

The rapper was arrested on the two felony assault charges after a heated argument with his former friend in the heart of Hollywood.

Mr Mayers and Mr Ephron have known each other since high school in New York and were part of the A$AP Mob hip-hop collective.

Their friendship cooled as A$AP Rocky’s career took off.

Authorities said Mr Ephron met Mr Mayers on 6 November 2021, a day after the pair had a disagreement, outside a hotel about a block from the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame.

An altercation ensued.

Mr Mayers was alleged to have whipped out a gun from his waistband and pointed it at Mr Ephron, telling him: “I’ll kill you right now.”

“He looked me in my eyes and pointed the gun at me,” Mr Ephron testified.

Mr Ephron said he told the rapper to fire the weapon, but Mr Mayers started walking away.

As he left, Mr Ephron followed, shouting at him.

Prosecutors alleged that at this point, Mr Mayers once again pulled out the gun and fired multiple shots, with one bullet said to have grazed Mr Ephron’s knuckles.

Much of the trial hinged on whether the firearm in question was a harmless prop gun, as Mr Mayers’s defence said, or a real weapon capable of causing harm, as Mr Ephron and prosecutors alleged.

The weapon has not been recovered by authorities.

Jurors were able to watch some footage of the altercation because parts were captured on surveillance video, including audio of gunfire, but no video evidence directly showed any shooting.

Mr Ephron took two days before reporting the incident to authorities and brought shell casings he said he had retrieved from the scene.

But police who responded to reports of a shooting in the area did not locate any shell casings. Mr Ephron, who said he returned with his girlfriend hours later, said he knew exactly where to look, but no surveillance footage corroborates his account.

He was not admitted to hospital in Los Angeles and instead went for medical treatment after flying back to New York.

Attorneys for Mr Mayers suggested that Mr Ephron had planted the shell casings to frame the rapper.

The trial was marked by emotional and combative exchanges, particularly when Mr Ephron – the trial’s star witness – took the stand.

At one point, Mr Ephron called Mr Tacopina – a defence attorney for Mr Mayers – “annoying”, which led to a reprimand from the judge.

Another witness, A$AP Twelvyy, was asked by prosecutors about a photograph showing Mr Mayers’s bed with the letters “AWGE” emblazoned on the furniture.

When asked what that stood for, Mr Mayers unexpectedly interrupted the proceedings and yelled, “Don’t say!” Twelvyy ultimately refused to elaborate.

Outbursts from defendants during trials are uncommon, especially in front of a jury.

However, for a criminal suspect on trial to interject and instruct a witness not to answer a prosecutor’s question during cross-examination is something nearly unheard of in a court.

The rapper is set to release his first solo album in nearly a decade and is scheduled to co-headline Los Angeles’ Rolling Loud festival in March 2025.

In May, he is set to co-chair the 2025 Met Gala alongside big names like Anna Wintour, British race car driver Lewis Hamilton, singer Pharrell Williams and basketball superstar LeBron James.

Additionally, he stars alongside Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s upcoming film “Highest 2 Lowest,” slated for a summer release.

His longtime partner, singer Rihanna, has attended court intermittently. She was in the courtroom on Tuesday as the verdict was read.