It’s always important not to immediately jump to conclusions whenever an allegation is made, but it’s fair to assume that there are serious questions to answer if someone is formally charged with sexual assault.
There were reports a couple of weeks ago which suggested that Man United had agreed a fee with Velez Sarsfield to sign young midfielder Thiago Almada, although there hasn’t been any sign of an official announcement confirming that since then.
It also seems safe to assume that any potential deal is now very much on hold, with a report from Globoesporte confirming that he has been formally charged with sexual assault back in Argentina.
It sounds like a pretty horrible case where he was having consensual sex with a woman, but his teammate Miguel Brizuela then entered the room and tried to join in against her wishes.
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He refused to leave and it’s not completely clear what then happened, but it’s reported that the police have been investigating for two months and have now charged both.
It’s pointed out that Brizuela already has a criminal record for attacking a woman recently so clearly he’s not a great character to be around, but both are in serious trouble.
It’s also confirmed that both have clauses in their contracts that mean they will be released if found guilty so their jobs and their freedom will be on the line here, while Velez were unavailable for comment at this time.
It’s likely that more details will emerge during the trial, but there’s no confirmation for a date of that yet.