MADRID — Professional footballers from the second and third teams of the Spanish club Real Madrid were detained for allegedly distributing a video with sex scenes with a 16-year-old girl, police said Thursday evening, reported German news agency (dpa).
A total of four adult footballers were allegedly involved.
Their mobile phones were confiscated and a judge later provisionally released the men, the police said.
One of the detained men allegedly filmed the incident while the others had consensual sex with the teenager, the Spanish newspapers El Confidencial and El País reported.
The young girl said she did not know of the recording and had not agreed to it being broadcast. Her mother filed a complaint.
Real Madrid released a statement saying that the club was aware of the arrests “in relation to a complaint about the alleged broadcasting of a private video via WhatsApp”.
The players had allegedly passed on a private video via the instant messaging service.
As soon as the club had more detailed information, it would take “appropriate measures”, the statement continued. The players were not initially named.
Real Madrid spoke of one player from its second team, Castilla, and three players from the third team, Real Madrid C.
In Spain, unauthorised dissemination of images or videos that violate privacy is punishable by up to one year in prison.
Prison sentences of less than two years are often suspended by Spanish courts if the accused does not have a prior criminal record.
The discussion about sexual harassment and assault in Spain has gained much momentum since Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales kissed world champion Jennifer Hermoso on the lips at the women’s World Cup trophy presentation last month.
Rubiales said the kiss was consensual, but Hermoso denied this and filed a criminal complaint.
Rubiales handed in his resignation, though he remained defiant on the issue that has rocked football for the past three weeks.
Women are increasingly unwilling to put up with such behaviour and are supported in this by large sections of politics, the media and sport. — September 15, 2023