Valencia suspends Rafa Mir for two games after sexual assault allegation

Athlete has been responding to legal proceedings and has been free since the beginning of September; the decision was revealed by the Spanish club’s coach

Valencia coach Rubén Baraja announced on Friday that the club has decided to suspend Rafa Mir for two games. The player is free to respond to legal proceedings after being accused of sexual assault by two women.

— It is a club decision in which I cannot and should not participate, because my task is in the sporting sphere. This week he is training separately and next week he will return to the group. After these two games of sports suspension, he will be part of the group as one more and I will decide whether he will play or not — said the coach, in a press conference.

Rafa Mir will miss two LaLiga clashes: away to Atlético de Madrid this Saturday and also at home to Girona the following weekend.

The 27-year-old athlete was arrested on September 2. The attacks alleged by the women allegedly took place at Rafa Mir’s house, along with a friend of the player, who was also taken to the police station. The complainants required hospital care.

The club had already made a statement earlier in the week. Valencia stated that it would open an internal process to investigate the complaint against Rafa Mir, since “his way of proceeding, during his rest time, indisputably affects his professional performance {…} in addition to the trust that our fans have”.

Rafa Mir’s defense claims that the athlete had consensual relations with the complainants. The player also posted a statement on social media, in which he claims his innocence and apologizes to Valencia for failing to comply with the schedules expected of a professional athlete, even though he was on vacation. The striker assured that he will work on his defense in court and not on the internet.