In Chile there is outrage over an alleged group rape involving nine soccer players from the youth division of the Cobreloa Sports Club. The rejection comes amid complaints of inaction by the authorities and team leaders.
>> More about the case: They capture 9 Chilean soccer players after being accused of abusing a woman
The first arrests occurred last Saturday, May 4, 2024, two and a half years after the events.
The victim, whose identity remains protected, has been seeking justice for more than two years: “I hope that now they do act, that they help me, that they believe me.”
His accusation dates back to September 16, 2021, when he was 18 years old. That day she was invited to a party, in a facility where the youth athletes of Cobreloa, a soccer team that competes in Chile’s first division, live.
According to the complainant’s story, a group of soccer players took advantage of the opportunity to sexually abuse her.
“They slapped me, they hit me with a belt, they choked me with the same belt. “They were quite violent.”reported the alleged victim of sexual abuse.
The woman said that she made a complaint to the authorities and that in the medical examination signs of sexual violence against her were determined. However, She assured that the officials of the Investigative Police, who were supposed to take her accusation, called her to desist.
The case did not progress and the accused footballers remained in the sports institution.
“The garbage was hidden under the carpet here for two years,” said Eduardo Arévalo, manager of the National Arbitration Committee, who blamed the leaders for not acting correctly.
The investigation was reactivated in October 2023, after the publication of the digital media El Ciudadano, which collected the testimony of the affected woman and denounced the inaction of the football club.
The former president of the Cobreloa Football Club, stated that They ended up “rewarding, in some way, players who committed a crime.”
This week, the case took a new turn with the arrest and suspension of the nine-player team, among them, one of Colombian origin.
Eight footballers would be accused of committing sexual assault, while one of them would have participated in recording the events. The Chilean Prosecutor’s Office requested preventive detention for all those involved.
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Source: https://www.noticiascaracol.com/mundo/futbolista-de-origen-colombiano-habria-participado-en-abuso-de-una-joven-en-chile-rg10
