Jenni Hermoso filed a legal complaint against suspended Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales on Wednesday, as the crisis over his decision to kiss her after the World Cup final deepened.

National Court prosecutors in Madrid confirmed Hermoso, a star of Spain’s women’s team, made the formal complaint earlier in the week.

It was sparked after Rubiales, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president, grabbed Hermoso’s head and kissed her on the lips after the team beat England 1-0 to win the World Cup in Sydney last month.

Hermoso’s formal complaint is the first formal step to any potential criminal charges being laid against Rubiales.

Prosecutors last week confirmed they had opened an investigation into the matter to see if it constituted sexual assault. The charge carries a prison term of between one and four years in Spain.

Hermoso lives in Mexico and plays for club CF Pachuca.

Rubiales has maintained the kiss, which happened on the stage in the middle of Stadium Australia, was consensual, but Hermoso says that’s not the case.

The sport’s global governing body, FIFA, suspended Rubiales from football-related duties last month.

Rubiales initially had the backing of the RFEF after the incident, but it’s since demanded his resignation. 

However, the 46-year-old has, so far, refused to offer that.

The Spanish Government is also trying to oust Rubiales using official channels.

Yesterday, the RFEF announced it had sacked the national women’s team coach, Jorge Vilda, in what its interim president described as one of the federation’s “renewal” measures.

Vilda had himself been under a cloud after 15 women refused to play under him last year.