Real Madrid’s Raul Asencio acquitted in sex-tape sharing case

What the report says

Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio has been cleared by a court on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria in a case involving the alleged sharing of a sexually explicit video without the victims’ consent, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP and Reuters. Prosecutors dropped the charges against the 23-year-old centre-back, who was accused of sharing the video but not of filming it. The case also involved three other former Real Madrid youth players.

The other three defendants were convicted and given one-year prison sentences, but those terms were suspended on the condition that they do not reoffend during the suspension period. Al Jazeera reported that prosecutors reduced their sentencing requests after the victims told the court they had forgiven the defendants. The article did not specify further details about the underlying incident beyond noting that one of the victims was a minor.

The ruling comes as Asencio is also facing a separate disciplinary issue. In a related but unrelated case, he was fined 14,400 euros and banned from driving for eight months after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol. Real Madrid had opened disciplinary proceedings over that conviction, while coach Jose Mourinho said the club would still consider the player part of its plans once the matter is resolved.

Asencio has not played this season because of a hamstring injury, which the report said is expected to keep him sidelined for a couple more weeks. The developments matter because they place a young first-team player under scrutiny both in court and inside the club, even as Real Madrid manages injuries and off-field discipline.