Celta Vigo striker Santi Mina faces a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexual abuse. The 26-year-old was found guilty by the Court of Almería for the crime, which took place on June 18 in 2017 in Mojacar in the Almeria municipality.
Mina, who was a Valencia player at the time, was on vacation with then-teammate David Goldar, who now plays for UD Ibiza. During the trial, evidence provided by doctors and psychologists from the Institute of Legal Medicine of Almería proved to be pivotal to the conviction.
A genital lesion found on the victim was found to be “compatible and plausible” with sexual abuse. A restraining order of 500 meters, set to last 12 years, was also imposed to protect the complainant. Also a fine of €50,000 in compensation was sanctioned.
Judge Társila Martínez did acquit Mina of sexual assault charges over the same incident. The prosecutor requested that if he was to be found guilty of this crime then Mina should serve eight years in prison.
David Goldar was found not guilty of sexual assault. The charge arrived from a private prosecution. The official Prosecutor’s Office had decided not to indict him.
Mina career now in tatters
As Mina faces his four-year prison sentence, his once promising football career is now in ruins. He began his career for Celta B before graduating to Celta Vigo’s first team. He then spent four seasons at Valencia between 2015 and 2019.
Celta Vigo bought him back on a five-year contract three years ago. He has since scored 25 goals in 101 appearances. Unbelievably, Mina carried on playing for the club right up to his sentencing.
Yet Celta Vigo has since released a statement that makes it clear that the player has been removed from first-team action. It also said that the club had to respect the player’s right to a defence against the charges against him.
Outcry at Mina case handling
As per Reddit, many supporters are outraged at how the case was handled before Mina received his prison sentence. One comment read: “Us fans new about it 2 years ago. The papers publish the events and it was fairly cut-and-dry.
“Most Celta fans are disgusted that he was not fired, it was a big rumour when we bought him back from Valencia. This party boy was tainted and out Club still bought him. Valencia played us like the village idiots.”
