VALENCIA: Valencia have begun disciplinary proceedings against their forward Rafa Mir after the 27-year-old player was arrested last week by the Spanish Guardia Civil police for an alleged crime of sexual assault, the club said on Monday.

While not officially disclosing the details of the disciplinary measures, sources told Reuters the striker will be fined and removed from the rest of the group for an indeterminate period of time.

“Valencia CF wishes to reiterate its firm condemnation of any type of violence in any of its manifestations, whilst respecting the presumption of innocence that our legal system promulgates. It is up to the courts to determine the timing and the actions regarding the alleged facts for which Rafa Mir is being investigated,” Valencia said in a statement.

“However, as far as the Club is concerned... Vale­ncia CF has analysed the situation from the point of view of the sanctioning regime applicable to professional football and has decided to take disciplinary measures.

“Specifically, the Club will proceed to open disciplinary proceedings aga­inst Rafa Mir as it understands that his way of proceeding, in his time off, indisputably affects the professional performance expected of him as a player of this Club; damaging, furthermore, the confidence that our fans have in all its players.”

Earlier on Monday, Mir categorically denied having committed sexual assault.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2024