Former Vélez Sarsfield players may be released on probation for sexual harassment

Former Vélez Sarsfield players Abiel Osorio, José Florentín and Braian Cufré, who were accused of sexual abuse in March and placed under house arrest in Tucumán, have been released on parole. The fourth player involved in the case, Sebastián Sosa, had been on parole since March.

Judge Eliana Gómez Moreira, who ordered the house arrest on March 21, granted the defense’s request for the players’ release, but under certain conditions. The players can stay in their private homes, but must return to Tucuman if they are needed for the investigation.

They must also report to the Tucuman Public Prosecutor’s Office every month and to the nearest police station once a week. Due to an injunction, they are prohibited from traveling and from coming within 400 meters of the victim. Sosa, who had asked for permission to leave the country to join the Uruguayan club Miramar Misiones, was denied.

According to the police report, on March 2, after a game, Sosa invited a 24-year-old woman to the team’s hotel in Tucumán via a message on her Instagram account. When she arrived there around 10 p.m., she found Cufré, Osorio and Florentín there too.

The women said the five were drinking beer and drinks in the room. She later reported feeling sick and dizzy and laid down on one of the beds. At this point, she was sexually assaulted. When her condition improved, she left the room around 5:30 a.m. and was able to ask for a ride home.

On April 24, the club announced that it had released Osorio, Florentín and Cufré from their contracts after an internal investigation found that the players had committed “serious misconduct.” Sosa, who is accused of aiding and abetting, was fired on April 17.