Raul Asencio Acquitted in Court of Explicit Video Charges

Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio has been acquitted by a Spanish court of alleged involvement in the distribution of a sexually explicit video involving a minor, drawing a legal line under one of the most sensitive episodes of his young career.

The 23-year-old walked out of court in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, cleared of the offence and with all charges against him withdrawn. The ruling came in a case centred on the recording and dissemination of a sexually explicit video linked to an intimate encounter at a beach club in Gran Canaria in June 2023.

Three of Asencio’s former team-mates from the Real Madrid academy were not so fortunate. They were convicted of “child pornography” offences and handed one-year suspended prison sentences. The court ordered them to attend a sexual “re-education” course, imposed a two-year restraining order preventing contact with the victims, and banned them for three years from working in any profession involving minors.

The sentences were kept to the minimum after the two victims – women aged 16 and 18 at the time – forgave the accused, a factor the court took into account when delivering its verdict.

For Asencio, the acquittal ends months of silence and scrutiny. In a detailed statement, he stressed that he had trusted the judicial process from the start and highlighted the personal cost of seeing his name dragged through headlines before any ruling had been made.

“Today, after a long period of silence and after respecting a judicial process in which I always had faith, I can say that I have been acquitted,” he said. He spoke of a “difficult situation” in recent months, pointing to the impact of public opinion and media coverage on him and his family, and underlined his belief that “behind every piece of news there is a person and a family who live with the consequences of it.”

“I have always trusted that justice would eventually set things right,” he added. “Today there is a judicial ruling that speaks for itself, and I accept it with peace of mind and with the satisfaction of being able to close a very important chapter in my life.”

That chapter, though, is not the only one shaping his relationship with Real Madrid.

Separate storm: drink-driving conviction

Away from the video case, Asencio is also facing internal consequences at his club after a drink-driving conviction, again in Gran Canaria. Real Madrid have opened disciplinary proceedings following an incident on 16 August in which he was found to be more than three times over the legal alcohol limit.

The offence resulted in a fine and an eight-month suspension of his driving licence. It also prompted a sharp public response from his coach, Jose Mourinho, who made clear that the standards expected at the club extend far beyond the training ground.

“Raul Asencio, given the situation he found himself in, I talked to him when he arrived and I talked to him about things that happened in the past,” Mourinho said. “I haven't talked with him since but I don't discuss situations outside Valdebebas.

“His attitude is perfect here. He picked up an injury a few weeks ago and since then, he is first to arrive and last to leave working on his recovery.

“But obviously a Real Madrid player is a Real Madrid player for 24 hours, seven days a week, 12 months a year, so when you do something outside your professional area, it's still Real Madrid and it hurts the club's prestige that is untouchable.

“So I am not happy. We all make errors but no, I'm not happy.”

Asencio did not try to soften his responsibility. In the same statement in which he addressed his acquittal, he confronted the drink-driving case head-on, calling himself “deeply sorry” and insisting he had learned from the episode.

“I am deeply sorry for what happened and I fully accept my responsibility,” he said. “It has been an experience from which I have learned and I am very clear that it will not happen again.”

He made it clear he does not want to be drawn into ongoing disputes or public back-and-forth. “I don't want to get involved in controversies or look back. I want to close this chapter with respect, with my head held high and with a great desire to move forward. And I am absolutely in agreement with my coach: not only on the pitch, but also off it.”

Acquitted in court, sanctioned on the road, under scrutiny at his club – Asencio now faces a different kind of test: whether he can turn a turbulent year into the foundation of a more disciplined, durable career at Real Madrid.