Spanish Footballer Convicted of Sexual Assault for Inappropriately Touching a Mascot

FILE - Perica, the mascot of Espanyol F.C., performs before the match against Atlético de Madrid in Barcelona on Sept. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, file)
FILE - Perica, the mascot of Espanyol F.C., performs before the match against Atlético de Madrid in Barcelona on Sept. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, file)
TT
20

Spanish Footballer Convicted of Sexual Assault for Inappropriately Touching a Mascot

FILE - Perica, the mascot of Espanyol F.C., performs before the match against Atlético de Madrid in Barcelona on Sept. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, file)
FILE - Perica, the mascot of Espanyol F.C., performs before the match against Atlético de Madrid in Barcelona on Sept. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, file)

Spanish soccer player Hugo Mallo has been convicted of sexual assault for inappropriately touching a mascot before a La Liga game in 2019, court officials said on Thursday.
The former Celta Vigo player was found to have inappropriately touched the breasts of the woman who was wearing Espanyol’s parakeet costume while players lined up to salute each other before kickoff, The Associated Press reported.
A judge fined Mallo 6,000 euros ($6,600) and ordered him to pay 1,000 euros ($1,100) in damages to the victim.
The 33-year-old Mallo reiterated his innocence and said he planned to appeal the sentencing. Mallo posted a video of the incident on Instagram.
“I continue to categorically deny the facts attributed to me in the ruling,” he said. “I acknowledged that while turning around after the greetings that my hand could have touched the waist of the parakeet, but I absolutely denied that it touched the parakeet’s breasts.”
The case was initially dismissed but that decision was overturned on appeal. At the time, Mallo posted a statement on Instagram calling for “respect” and pointing out that neither Celta nor Espanyol found evidence of wrongdoing.
Mallo will also have to pay for the legal costs of the proceedings.



Assefa Wins London Marathon Women's Race after Late Breakaway


Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, left, and Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei, right, compete in the women's elite race

Bridge during the TCS London Marathon, Sunday April 27, 2025. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, left, and Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei, right, compete in the women's elite race Bridge during the TCS London Marathon, Sunday April 27, 2025. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
TT
20

Assefa Wins London Marathon Women's Race after Late Breakaway


Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, left, and Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei, right, compete in the women's elite race

Bridge during the TCS London Marathon, Sunday April 27, 2025. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, left, and Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei, right, compete in the women's elite race Bridge during the TCS London Marathon, Sunday April 27, 2025. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia secured her first London Marathon title Sunday after pulling away from Joyciline Jepkosgei near the end.

Assefa finished in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds, the fastest ever in a women's-only marathon — but 25 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race, The AP news reported.

Assefa finished second both in London and at the Paris Olympics last year but adds this title to two Berlin Marathon wins. Unlike in Paris, she made sure there would be no sprint finish this time as she left Jepkosgei behind with a few kilometers left and ran alone along the Thames and through central London to the finish in front of Buckingham Palace.

Jepkosgei, the 2021 London winner, was almost three minutes back. Olympic champion Sifan Hassan was third.