With the conviction handed down against El Mago, he joins the list of imprisoned footballers. In fact, the former midfielder will now be in the same establishment where Luis Núñez, the former UC player, is serving his sentence.
Jorge Valdivia is behind bars. The former footballer was denounced for an alleged crime of rape and after a rapid formalization process, the Eighth Guarantee Court applied the precautionary measure of preventive detention. The judge Ely Rothfeld argued the measure. “Given the seriousness of the incident, the penalty that could be incurred, the serious consequences that this crime entails for the victim, it seems that there is a danger for the security of society and the freedom of the accused,” he said.
With the sanction imposed on the former player, he joins the list of imprisoned footballers. In fact, the former midfielder will now be in the same establishment where Luis Núñez, the former UC player, is serving his sentence. In ordering the preventive detention, it was also considered that there was a pending case against Valdivia. This is an attack on a woman in Peñalolén. This matter is the subject of an open investigation. It was also explained that the punishment for this crime ranges from five years and one day to 15 years in prison.
National cases
In Chile, a memorable situation is that of Luis Núñez. In August 2022, the 6th Oral Criminal Court of Santiago sentenced him to 10 years and one day in prison for simple homicide following the death of Juan Pinto, which occurred in 2018. Since then, he has been serving his sentence in Rancagua. Lucho Pato, as he was called, was experiencing a new dark episode in his life. He had previously been imprisoned for drug trafficking. In May 2016, the San Bernardo Oral Criminal Court sentenced him to four years and 61 days in prison for the crimes of drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms.
After serving his first sentence, he was released from prison and was even seen at matches of the Catholic University of San Carlos de Apoquindo. He was then implicated in Pinto’s death. Although he respected the sentence, Núñez stressed The sportsman who still claims he is innocent. “Everything about the investigation, the trial, is flawed, everything is poorly done. There is no scientific or material evidence. “People pointing fingers at me, saying they saw me shoot… it’s all a lie.” he said in an interview.
Another noisy case in the country is that of Luciano Cabral. Current national team who also belonged to the under-20 category, surrendered to justice in January 2017 following an assassination in Mendoza in which he was involved. He was sentenced as a co-perpetrator of homicide to nine and a half years effective sentence, but he was released on parole for good behavior on September 15, 2022. At the same time, he signed for Coquimbo Unidos and currently defends Club León.
In the last month, when he submitted his payroll for the October FIFA date, Ricardo Gareca acknowledged that the flyer’s life story was a factor in his inclusion on the list. “Cabral wakes me up, in addition to being a good player, his history of improvement, added to the fact that he is interesting in terms of football,” he said.
Another recent case was the imprisonment of Jordhy Thompson. The midfielder who was then active in Colo Colo was accused of attempted femicide against his partner, Camila Sepúlveda. The white player was placed in preventive detention after being charged by the public prosecutor. A few days later, the Santiago Court of Appeal annulled the precautionary measure.
Of international connotation
The list of imprisoned footballers grows even longer if foreigners are included. Brazilians Dani Alves and Robinho were found guilty of rape. The former full-back was in preventive detention and was subsequently sentenced to four years. Once the sentence was made public, Barcelona stripped the footballer of the status of “club legend”. In March 2024, the former railway driver requested provisional release, which he was granted after paying bail of one million euros.
For his part, the attacker, who was on several occasions the executioner of La Roja, was sentenced in 2017 to nine years in prison by the Milan court for an offense of rape committed in 2013. This year he was extradited to Brazil, where he continued to serve his sentence.
Ronaldinho’s case was different, as the star with a past at Barcelona and PSG was in a Paraguayan prison for trying to enter the country with falsified documents. His stay in Asunción prison took on a media connotation. Inside the facility, he even participated in a friendly tournament with the inmates, where his team won.
In Colombia, there are also incidents. Legendary guard René Higuita was imprisoned in 1993. His arrest was linked to the kidnapping of the daughter of a Colombian drug cartel member. The goalkeeper acted as intermediary. He was accused of collaborating with criminals. He was imprisoned for nine months and missed the 1994 World Cup. During his time behind bars, he went on hunger strike.
However, the news that made the most noise in Colombia was that of Freddy Rincón. In 2007, he was wanted by Interpol and the Panamanian prosecutor’s office, accused of moneylending and links to drug trafficking. The same year, he was arrested in Brazil. He was eventually released, but awaited his final sentence until he died in a road accident.
Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
