Valencia forward Rafa Mir apologises to fans after sexual assault allegations, defends innocence

Valencia striker Rafa Mir has broken his silence on accusations of sexual assault against him and companion, but has declared that the claims are unfounded. Mir spent two nights in police custody before giving a statement and being given bail.

Details of the incident have emerged, with Mir reportedly telling the court that while he did see one of the alleged victims was injured and bleeding, ‘it was nothing more than a scratch.’ Mir apologised for breaking the curfew for Valencia players, and said he would be dedicating all of his energy to helping the club and the team. Following on from his lawyer, Mir defended his innocence again, as recounted by MD.

Since, Relevo have reported that Mir will be sanctioned by Valencia, but not sacked, the latter adhering to a lack of a legal basis to do so, but also the presumption of innocence. Mir will be fined for breaking the team curfew and ordered to train alone until Ruben Baraja sees fit to reintegrate him. Diario AS say that Mir will only miss a week of group training, and two games against Girona and Atletico Madrid.

The incident occurred on a Saturday night going into Sunday morning after Valencia’s 1-1 draw with Villarreal before the international break, with Mir attending a nightclub before leaving for a property where the alleged incident occurred. The 27-year-old returned to his boyhood club on loan from Sevilla this summer with an option for Los Che to buy.

Full Statement:

After a period of reflection, I want to make my innocence clear, reiterating the content of the statement issued by my lawyer Jaime Campaner. As soon as he was able to get to work on equal terms with the accusations, the case has taken an important turn that shows what unfounded that the complaint is.

I fully trust the Administration of Justice of this country, with which I have collaborated from the first minute to clarify the facts.

For all this, I want to express my most sincere and deep apologies to my Club, Valencia CF, to the coaching staff, to my teammates and mainly to the Valencia fans, for failing to comply, even on a day off, with the established schedules that are expected of a professional and even more so after a start to the season far from our expectations. From now on, as a professional footballer, all my energies are focused on helping my club and my teammates.

I don’t want to forget to thank my family for the love and support they have shown me at all times. Your love and the truth will make me overcome this traumatic situation that I am experiencing.

That being said, following the advice of my lawyer, we will work in the courts and not in the media or on social networks.

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