Real Madrid player Raúl Asencio was acquitted on Thursday by a Spanish court of charges involving the unauthorized recording and distribution of sexual images featuring a woman and a minor.
Asencio’s former teammates from the Real Madrid youth division—Andrés García, Ferrán Ruiz, and Juan Rodríguez—accepted a one-year suspended prison sentence for their role in distributing child pornography.
The case originated from a sexual encounter filmed at a beach club in the Canary Islands in June 2023 and the subsequent sharing of that footage without consent.
Asencio, 23, was not charged with participating in the incident or the filming itself but rather for distributing the video without consent.
The two women featured in the video, one aged 16 at the time, testified during the trial that they had forgiven the four players.
Spanish prosecutors had sought a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Asencio and longer sentences of four years and seven months for García, Ruiz, and Rodríguez.
“After hearing the victims express forgiveness and the Public Prosecutor’s representative withdrawing charges against one defendant and lessening the requests for the others, the judge issued a verdict in accordance with the prosecutor’s recommendations,” stated the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria court.
“The three footballers charged with distributing child pornography received suspended one-year sentences, two-year restraining orders from the victims, and three-year bans from professions involving minors. The player (Asencio) was acquitted and is free to go.”
“The decision is final and concludes the legal proceedings, as all parties have expressed acceptance and will not appeal.”
This ruling follows closely after Asencio was convicted of a separate charge for driving under the influence of alcohol.
The Spanish player received a fine of €14,400 (€120 per day for four months) and had his driver’s license suspended for eight months.
Real Madrid has initiated a disciplinary procedure against Asencio following his DUI conviction, according to coach José Mourinho, who stated on Thursday, “While the proceedings are ongoing, I view him as a Real Madrid player.” Asencio is currently sidelined with a muscle injury.
“He has been an exemplary professional. When fit, no one trained harder or better. Now, he’s the first to arrive and the last to leave. However, a Real Madrid player must always uphold the club’s reputation both on and off the field. Mistakes can happen, but repeated issues are different,” Mourinho added.
Information from The Associated Press was utilized in this report.