Former Valencia president Pedro Cortes is on trial for sexually abusing a minor

Criminal Court No. 3 in Valencia this Thursday agreed to hold a trial against Pedro Cortes, former president of Valencia and the former director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), due to an alleged case of sexual abuse of a minor from the club’s youth facility.

This decision was made after the request of the prosecutor and the lawyer for a private lawsuit, which the defense attorney did not oppose, because during the discussion it was possible to talk about intimate matters of a sexual nature, and despite this, the victim is no longer a minor.

Since October 2021, Cortés has been prosecuted by the Court of First Instance No. 1 in Paterna for this alleged crime, which was reported in November 2020, although the investigation only came to light in January. On the same day, the former president of Valencia between 1997 and 2001 denied the allegations in a statement issued by his lawyer. On the same day, Cortés resigned from the position of delegate of the senior national team to the RFEF.

The Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Valencia requested a two-year prison sentence for the former president of Valencia. In her filing before the court, the prosecutor explained that the minor signed a representation contract with the agency of Cortés’ relative, which “allowed the defendant to have regular contact with the minor,” which in turn led to a “relationship of trust.”

According to this writing, in November 2020, Cortés invited the young player, who was 16 at the time, to lunch with his family at a restaurant in Valencia, and during the meal he whispered in his ear: “I’m going to eat you whole.” Later, Cortés transferred the minor to the sports town of Paterna, where he lived, and “led by his libidinous spirit, he placed his right hand on the minor’s left thigh, beginning to massage it with circular movements, moving the defendant’s hand to the genital area, placing it on the same penis.”

According to the prosecutor’s statement, the minor removed the hand of Cortés, who at that moment told him that “there is only one life and you should enjoy it”. The parents of the minor reported the facts after they became aware of them.