One year and 15 days after the complaint filed by Florencia Marco, former press officer of the Boca Juniors women’s team, This Friday, from 9 in the morning, the oral trial for simple sexual abuse against Jorge Martinez, former soccer player for Boca, River and Independiente -among others- who at the time the case began was coach of the Gladiators. According to the ruling of the 22nd Oral Court by Judge Sergio Paduczak, which could be announced next Monday, Martínez could receive a sentence of between six months and four years in prison.
At 8:45, Jorge Daniel Martinez entered the Courts, accompanied by his lawyers and some family members. Strikingly smiling, he claimed to be “innocent” and promised to “show evidence” after the ruling. “I am happy because the day has come to prove my innocence. That is the peace of mind I have, so I am happy that the trial is being carried out. I apologize for not speaking much, but I owe it to Justice. When the hearing is over we can talk as much as you want. He suffered a lot. “I am very sure of my innocence, I am innocent,” he said before being tried.
A few minutes after 9:04 the complainant arrived, supported by her lawyer, Andrea Lucangioli. “Thank you for accompanying me, I go with the peace of mind of the truth. I hope justice is done,” was her brief testimony.
Wearing a black suit, sneakers and sunglasses, after 9:30 he entered through the Courts vehicle gate. Mauricio Chicho Serna, another member of the Boca Football Council Also smiling, he greeted journalists from a distance, but preferred not to speak. He hugged his lawyer on the steps of the palace and went to the seventh-floor courtroom, where Martínez, Judge Sergio Paduczak and the prosecutor in the case, Eduardo Cubría, were waiting for him.
According to Marco’s statement, Martínez, who had already been having inappropriate attitudes towards her and other women in the club since her assumption as coach of the women’s team in January 2022. “As the months went by, many of her attitudes, which At first they were abusive and violent, they became naturalized. Then no one questioned if he was coming and instead of talking to you looking into your eyes, he looked at your breasts. Because He is like that. There was no question if he came and instead of hugging you like a normal person he came and hugged you and touched your private parts. Because it’s already part of him. Abuse began to become normalized within the team. Sexual abuse and violence abuse. And power. When he touches my tail (and that is the complaint I make) he crosses all limits. He did it in a rude way, which confirmed to me that he was constantly abusing me,” Marco told LA NACION before the start of the trial.
A long day is expected in Comodoro Py, since first the witnesses from both parties will be heard (there are 12 in total, seven on Martínez’s side and five proposed by Marco), then the arguments will take place and, finally, after an intermission room, the reading of the verdict. Among the witnesses nominated by the ex-lateral who played 27 games for Boca between 2001 and 2002 are Jorge Bermúdez, Raúl Cascini, Mauricio Serna and Marcelo Delgado, who will be obliged to tell the truth. According to the complainant’s story, the three members of the Xeneize Football Council were aware of the abuses committed by the coach.
“When it was my turn, I spoke with Jorge Bermúdez, with Raúl Cascini and with Marcelo Delgado. I inform them and tell them everything. They tell me that they were already talking about it with Riquelme and also with Cristian, Román’s brother. They were all informed. And they tell me that they were supposedly going to take some kind of measures. But they never took them. Because they knew the sexual abuse was real and they knew it wasn’t just me. And what I said was that I was not going to continue allowing this to remain silent, as long as he continued abusing and being in the club.”
The club, for now, removed Martínez from his position in April 2023 and did not comment on the issue again. Let justice be done.