Two notable judicial decisions pertaining to football have emerged in the recent few hours.
First, Brazilian football player Dani Alves, who was found guilty of rape last month and given a four and a half-year prison sentence by a Spanish court, is now eligible to be released on a $1.1 million bail. The 40-year-old, who rose to prominence as a right back, was found guilty in December 2022 of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub. Since January 2023, Alves has spent about 25% of his sentence in pre-trial incarceration.
Second, a Brazilian judge has ordered former football player Robinho to spend nine years behind bars in his native nation. When the forward was a player for AC Milan in 2013, he was found guilty of taking part in a gang rape in Italy. An Italian court found him guilty in 2017 and gave him a nine-year term. He was unable to be arrested in Italy since he moved to Brazil in 2016, and South America does not extradite its citizens.
Over the years, Alves and Robinho have become well-known figures in the football world. Alves has participated in 126 games for the Brazil national team in addition to playing for Barcelona, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain. Conversely, Robinho has played for major teams like Real Madrid, Manchester City, and AC Milan and has made 100 appearances for his country’s national team.
The question is: why are rape charges against football players more common than with other sports? There are stories about football players being accused of various sexual offenses every other day.
A report published in late November of last year by BBC Sport stated that since 2020, seven Premier League clubs had either their players or their managers under investigation for sexual offenses. The report also revealed that, shockingly, two football players and a manager continued to carry out their professional responsibilities in spite of being the subject of a police investigation.
The man who hardly requires an introduction, Cristiano Ronaldo, has also been involved in a rape case for a long time. Despite the fact that the case against him has been dropped, it still haunts him. Kathryn Mayorga is a woman who alleges that the all-time great football player sexually raped her in Las Vegas in 2009 and then gave her hush money.
The question now is: Why aren’t football authorities throughout the globe taking any action? And why isn’t there a drop in the number of offenses if they are making an effort? Football players can indeed face unjust accusations. that they might find themselves in uncomfortable circumstances. They are the most idolized athletes on the globe, and some people take advantage of their fame.
However, someone has to educate children about the outside world and the safety measures they need to take.
Of course, several football players have been found guilty of the crime and have been convicted, such as Alves and Robinho. It wouldn’t be incorrect to presume that they believe they are above the law and its penalties because of their wealth and celebrity. The victim’s attorney in the Alves case stated outright, “To me, it’s a scandal that they let a person who they know can get a million euros in no time walk free.” It is important to emphasize that no one is above the law and that committing these crimes can ruin your reputation, profession, and lengthen your stay in jail.
Although football is sometimes referred to as the “beautiful game,” these sexual offenses are slowly tarnishing its reputation and making it the “ugly game.” The regulating bodies need to take action immediately. Nothing can be ignored anymore since the world is far more aware of these problems than it was, say, a century ago.
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