The Celta striker’s sentence for misbehavior highlights that football is unwilling to alert about sexual violence. Neither the club nor the environment of the players enter the area they consider private

• condemnation of Shanti Meena gets four years in jail for sexual abuse
• profile The Fall of Santi Mina: Caravan Journey to Punish Celta Players

Finance, communication, social networks, psychology and nutrition are areas in which elite football players train. What was unimaginable two decades ago is today an apprenticeship offered by clubs and representation agencies as they begin to stand out in the lower categories. They should be ready for everything. However, there is one aspect that has come to light from Celta striker Santi Mina’s punishment: they are not aware of this type of conduct. sexual violence Nor about the tremendous damage done to the victims. The question is, should they be? The answer is not easy, as no one has considered it until now and there is doubt as to who should give this training, the clubs or their representatives.

case in laliga Saints Min is unique with the precedent of three players argentinaBut other faults of typical football players are known. robinho, the former Real Madrid striker, was sentenced in January to nine years in prison for a crime of sexual violence committed in 2013 while playing for Brazil AC Milan. He took refuge in Brazil to escape prison, but after his sentence, Santos suspended his transfer due to pressure from his sponsors. Welshman was imprisoned in England ched evansa Sheffield United player, who served four years before being finally acquitted in 2016, and adam johnsonIn 2011, he was found guilty of having sex with a minor under the age of 15. pending trial is city defender Benjamin MendyThe man who faced nine sex offense charges brought by six women between 2020 and 2021 was suspended from employment and pay. Cristiano Ronaldo He was charged but not prosecuted even after the millionaire reached an out-of-court settlement.

“No one tells them how they can drown the victim’s life, but no one tells them that one night it can ruin their career.” is of reflection Elizabeth Garcia, Director of Elegance Consultancy and Expert in Equality, which is developing protocols for the prevention and detection of sexual violence in the field of sport. “It’s pretty clear that, fortunately, only a few do and it’s a matter of education, but we should start working on this at an early age,” he warns.

nba Hailstone Major Soccer League They already do. In the case of the American Basketball Federation, it trains its most recent players, cheater, on mundane issues like housing or managing your money, but also on drugs, alcohol, and sexual behavior. They have been warned of dire consequences. In football, the organization facing a barrage of harassment lawsuits established a protocol that indicates that not only players but also managers cannot be alone with employees.

In Europe, competitions and federations have protocols but they do not translate them into preventive training. “There are only a few clubs in the Basque Country that are already doing this and others that are starting to take an interest. This should be introduced into the lives of the players as it is unacceptable behavior in any person, but even more so in a benchmark “, recalls Garcia, who insists on advising clubs to start work in the lower tiers. “Players and their families are trained in issues that have become aware, such as bullying or egalitarianism, Why not help them to recognize what sexual violence behaviors can and should be avoided? That this is not an abuse or aggression, but a joke or a manly remark,” says the expert.

Parenting advice over training

Representation agencies believe that the matter is a “warning” to reflect on an issue that most see from afar that it may occur and that they believe it affects the very private sphere of players. “We know them, we have a close relationship with them, you can’t think they’re going to commit crimes,” says one of the many people consulted by EL Mundo.

The absence of training doesn’t mean that, remember, boys aren’t warned. “ancestral figure” That some reps exercise, advise their football players in many areas of their lives and that, for the time being, carefully choose the profiles they work with. They are at the service of the players, but they also invest in developing them. Any conflict in which a player is immersed can lead to a coveted slab, which is almost impossible to raise if it is an offense of these characteristics.

Isabel García insisted, “Society’s perception has changed and the footballer should be clear about it. The idea that no one can resist a rich and famous athlete already has many nuances, because such behavior which are unacceptable.”

In fact, this expert, who has already been in contact with a team to develop protocols and guidelines for the prevention of sexual violence, defends that clubs believe it to be so. “The Celta It has immediately sent out a message that it does not support them and has entered its social mass. He is there to open a door that can no longer be closed.”