Argentine child sex abuse scandal widens

BUENOS AIRES: A child abuse scandal involving several of Argentina’s most famous football clubs continued to unfold with interviews and searches while rippling outwards to include the country’s gymnastics federation.

The lid was first lifted in March after a 17-year- old player with top Argentinian side Independiente told a club psychologist that he and another young player had been encouraged to sell themselves for sex. Club directors reported the allegations to the police.

On Monday a doctor and a psychologist at another Buenos Aires club, River Plate, told authorities that young footballers and volleyballers at the club had suffered sexual abuse.

Authorities are also investigating a potential case at a third football club, Temperley.

On Tuesday, the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA) said a 40-year- old former gymnast had complained of abuse as a minor.

Asked on Argentine TV how many gymnastics cases there might be, COA president Gerardo Werthein said “it is difficult to know” but added that “there are several.”

Buenos Aires- based River Plate and Independiente are two of the most famous clubs in the country.

River have won a record 36 league titles while Independiente have won the Copa Libertadores – South America’s equivalent of the UEFA Champions League – a record seven times. Both are multisport clubs and operate hostels for young players recruited from across Argentina and abroad.

Recent graduates of the River youth system include Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Erik Lamela (Tottenham) and Radamel Falcao ( Monaco), who was bought from a Colombian club on his 15th birthday. Sergio Aguero ( Manchester City) is a product of the Independiente youth system.

Teenagers boarding with Independiente were reportedly coaxed into selling themselves in exchange for money, promotion to other teams within the club, football boots or even underwear. — AFP