A spokesperson for the Spanish police announced today, Thursday, that at least three unnamed young players from Real Madrid have been arrested on charges of sharing sexual videos with a minor. The arrests come at a difficult time for Spanish football amid allegations of sexual assault against the former president of the local football federation, Luis Rubiales, following claims he kissed national team player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth without her consent during the celebration of the Women's World Cup victory last month. Officials from Real Madrid could not be reached immediately for comment.
The newspaper "Confidencial" previously reported, citing sources, that the detainees are three players from the youth academy, the reserve team, and the third team, and that the case stems from a complaint filed by the mother of the minor victim with the police on September 6 in the Canary Islands. According to the report, the main individual involved in the case is a player from the third team of the Spanish club, who reportedly recorded his sexual encounter with the 16-year-old victim. The radio station Cadena SER reported that the relationship was consensual.
Both "Confidencial" and Cadena SER indicated that the other players shared the video without the minor's consent via the mobile messaging app WhatsApp. Reports mention that all three were arrested on Thursday morning in Madrid on suspicion of committing a felony known in Spanish criminal law as "disclosing sexual secrets." Real Madrid issued a statement saying that the police questioned four young players "in relation to a complaint about the alleged publication of a private video via the WhatsApp messaging application." "Confidencial" earlier noted that the main individual involved is a player from the club's third team who allegedly recorded his sexual encounter with the 16-year-old victim.
