Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio, along with three former youth players from the club, could stand trial over the alleged recording and distribution of a sexually explicit video involving a minor and another young woman, a Spanish court revealed on Wednesday.
A judge in Gran Canaria announced that the preliminary investigation into the incident—reportedly filmed in a private area of a beach club on the island on 15 June 2023—had concluded, and a criminal case file had been handed over to prosecutors.
According to the court statement, the video allegedly involved two female victims aged 16 and 18 at the time, both of whom are now suffering from post-traumatic stress symptoms.
The judge said the charges under consideration include disclosure of secrets without consent, violation of privacy, distribution of explicit material, use of a minor for pornographic purposes, and possession of child pornography.
While the court did not formally name the accused, Spanish media have identified them as Asencio, along with former academy teammates Andrés García, Ferrán Ruiz, and Juan Rodríguez.
The scandal first surfaced in September 2023 when three Real Madrid reserve players were arrested following a complaint by the mother of the 16-year-old girl. According to police, although the girl acknowledged the sexual activity was consensual, she said the recording was made without her knowledge or consent and shared via WhatsApp.
The players were released after police seized their mobile phones for forensic analysis.
Spanish media reports suggest the primary suspect, who has not been publicly identified, recorded the encounter and then sent the footage to his teammates without informing the girl involved.
At the time of the arrests, Real Madrid confirmed that four youth team players had been questioned by police “in connection with a complaint about an alleged release of a private video via the WhatsApp messaging system.”
The court is expected to decide soon whether to proceed with formal criminal charges and set a trial date.
