Real Madrid Defender Raul Asencio Cleared in Sex-Tape Sharing Case as Prosecutors Drop Charges

Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio has been cleared of all charges related to sharing a sexually explicit video without the consent of the victims, including a minor, according to a court on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria.

Prosecutors officially dropped the charges against the 23-year-old centre-back on Thursday. At the same time, they reduced their sentencing requests for three other former Real Madrid youth players after the victims informed the court that they had forgiven the defendants.

The three other players faced charges of recording and sharing sexual videos involving two teenage women, one of whom was underage. They received one-year prison sentences, which were suspended under the condition that they commit no further offences during that probation period. While Asencio was accused of sharing the footage, he was not accused of filming it.

In a separate legal development, another court reported on Wednesday that Asencio was fined 14,400 euros ($16,800) and given an eight-month driving ban after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol. The centre-back recorded a blood alcohol level more than three times over the legal limit during the August 16 incident.

Earlier on Thursday, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho addressed reporters, confirming that the club has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Asencio. However, Mourinho noted that the player will remain part of his plans while the situation is being resolved.

“He’s a model professional. When he was fit, no one trained as hard as him,” Mourinho stated. “Now that he’s been injured for a few weeks, he’s the first to arrive and the last to leave training. But a Real Madrid player remains so 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year.”

Mourinho added, “Everything you do outside your professional sphere still reflects on Real Madrid and continues to damage the reputation of a club whose standing must not be undermined. I’m not happy. Everyone makes mistakes, but a series of mistakes is something different.”

Asencio has spent the current season sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Mourinho noted that the injury is expected to keep the defender out of action for a couple more weeks.