football

Updated: Aug 07, 2017 23:01 IST

Indian Super League (ISL) club Bengaluru FC on Monday announced the signing of 31-year-old Spanish forward Braulio Nobrega on a one-year contract ahead of the upcoming season. Nobrega boasts of an impressive CV, having played for, among others, Atletico Madrid, Real Mallorca, Getafe and Real Zaragoza.

The striker notably netted thrice for Getafe in their UEFA Cup (now renamed to Europa League) campaign in 2007-08.

However, it has now emerged that Nobrega, who last played for Doxa Katokopias FC in Cyprus, is a convicted sex offender. In September 2011, Nobrega was detained by police in Zaragoza over alleged sexual abuse. At the time, he was plying his trade with Real Zaragoza. He was subsequently released by the club.

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Less than a year later, after confirmation of the charges, he was fined 12,600 euros. He, however, escaped prison after paying compensation to his victims.

“Former Zaragoza player, Braulio Nóbrega, was fined a total of €12,600 for two sexual abuse offences, two counts of sexual harassment and one of assault to four women with restraining orders against him for periods of between six months and three years,” a report in Spanish daily Marcastated on September 22, 2012.

“Braulio admitted the charges brought against him by the Guardia Civil (Spanish police) following his arrest in the middle of a Real Zaragoza training session on 21st September of last year, even though he had denied them when brought in front of the Examining Magistrates Court of the Aragon regional capital,” the report further added.

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It went on to add that he “benefitted from the use of a mitigating circumstance by compensation for damage caused” to escape a possible five-year prison sentence.

Nobrega’s sexual assault case was reported by a number of media outlets in Spain and abroad in 2012.

Hindustan Times reached out to Bengaluru FC to ask whether the club was aware of Nobrega’s conviction at the time of completion of the deal. “The club chooses not to comment on it,” was the response from Bengaluru FC.