If granted, the order would prevent Rubiales from trying to contact Hermoso or coming within 500m of her.

Dressed in a black suit over a white shirt, Rubiales left the High Court in Madrid with his lawyer Olga Tubau following a closed-door investigative hearing that lasted about an hour. He did not speak to the media waiting outside.

During the testimony, Rubiales denied accusations of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the lips, according to a statement by the prosecutor's office.

• Rubiales ordered to appear before judge
• Rubiales resigns as Spanish FA president over Hermoso kissing row
• Jorge Vilda sacked as Spain Women's head coach

The incident, which occurred at the medal ceremony after Spain's women's team won the World Cup in Australia last month, has triggered a furore over sexism in Spanish sport and society, and prompted protests similar to the "Me Too" movement.

Rubiales, 46, insists the kiss was consensual, while Hermoso says it was forced on her.

After weeks of resisting calls from players, politicians and women's groups to step down as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rubiales finally quit on September 10.

But he remains unrepentant, saying he acted with consent in a moment of celebration and joy.

More than 80 of Spain's top female players, including the 23 world champions, have refused to play for the national team until there are changes in the RFEF management line-up and style.

As he went to court, local media reported that women players, including the World Cup-wining squad, planned to continue their boycott of the national side until there were further changes in the federation set-up.

After Hermoso told prosecutors that Rubiales kissed her on the mouth without her consent while holding her head with both hands - a moment seen by millions on television - state prosecutor Marta Durantez Gil filed a judicial complaint.

She added a possible crime of coercion after Hermoso said she and her relatives had been put under pressure by Rubiales and his entourage to say that she had approved what happened.

Judge Francisco de Jorge is in charge of the investigation and will decide whether the case goes to trial. If it does, Rubiales could face between one and four years imprisonment if found guilty.

De Jorge has ordered several media, including state broadcaster TVE, to send him footage of the incident and subsequent videos such as one with the players celebrating on a bus with Rubiales and referring to the kiss in what appeared to be a light-hearted manner. The investigation could take several months.

Wiegman: Time to move on, players should be listened to

England manager Sarina Wiegman has claimed it is time to move on from the Rubiales incident and celebrate Spain's players for winning the World Cup. The England manager also said one learning point from this incident is the need to listen to players.

"What I want to talk about now is we have to celebrate football and we should celebrate the Spanish players who won the World Cup. We haven't been talking about that at all.

"Of course, we have all seen and followed the news that it is still going on and I would have to leave that now to the people working on that.

"Players need to be listened to and we need to move on. The women's game has improved so much but there is still a long way to go.

"Not only in Spain, but everywhere, there are many players and top athletes who have a lot of challenges and we should all work together and stay connected and try to make the world better for those players."