Soccer player given more time to prepare deposition
A star soccer player accused of gang raping a minor in his home in southern Athens has been given until Thursday to prepare his defense before an investigating magistrate.
“It’s all about the money,” Portuguese player Ruben Semedo, 27, shouted to reporters as he left the Athens courthouse on Tuesday.
Semedo and a 40-year-old Nigerian man described as a manager are accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at the athlete’s home in the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada after he plied her with alcohol at a bar in Oropos, in eastern Attica. The teenager reported Semedo and the 40-year-old to the police on Sunday, leading to their arrest.
The Olympiakos defender has denied the charges, accusing the plaintiff of seeking to profit on his reputation. “None of this would have happened if I wasn’t a soccer player,” he told reporters.
Semedo has reportedly admitted to the sexual encounter but claims that the 17-year-old told him she was of age and had consented.
The 40-year-old was given until Friday to testify to the magistrate.
