Ahead of recent developments, the club once again maintained a reserved stance regarding the Colombian player’s situation.
The trial of Sebastian Villa followed a complaint filed by his fellow countrywoman Daniela Cortés, who accuses him of injuries aggravated by the group and by acts of gender-based violence and coercive threats.
In this session, prosecutor Sergio Anauti made his plea, requested a two years and three months sentence with parole, and then closed his argument. The Colombian arrived at 10 a.m. accompanied by his lawyer and his mother at Correctional Court No. 3 in Lomas de Zamora, resulting in Boca Juniors losing valuable training time. Yet, as has occurred in prior hearings, Jorge Almirón allowed him to remain free to attend to the case and later rejoin the squad.
“It is essential to recognize that this case involves violence against women in all its forms,” Anauti stated. He added that the footballer’s conduct included aggressive gestures fueled by alcohol and jealousy.
During the previous session Villa had declared, “I have never committed any of the offenses of which I am accused,” and observers awaited further developments in the coming weeks.
Villa and the pattern of gender-violence allegations
The allegations against the Colombian are not solitary. In May 2022, a woman who requested anonymity accused him of sexual assault and an attempted murder relating to events from June 2021.
Even with these files on record and Boca’s formal protocol for handling such matters, Villa continued to be a regular starter under coach Sebastián Battaglia and faced no internal sanctions from the club, which opted for a passive posture in response to the situation.
Public commentary prompted responses from club leadership, including comments by Juan Román Riquelme. After criticism over his remark that the player’s conduct was “professional enough to deserve respect,” and that the complaints were “another matter,” club officials ultimately chose to await judicial resolution: “We all despise the issue; we reject it; it concerns us. There are club legal representatives handling the matter. We will wait to see what the justice system decides, and the club will take any necessary measures in response,” they indicated.
With that stance, the club in effect allowed the legal process to proceed while maintaining normal operations in parallel.
Nevertheless, the stance drew internal pushback. Paula Ojeda, the newly appointed head of the AFA’s Department of Equity and Gender, publicly urged that the player be removed from the team’s activities until the facts were clarified. “The club should separate Villa. Clubs are not always fair, but when there is an allegation, management must isolate the player to demonstrate support for the victim and set a standard,” she said.
In an interview with Clarín, Ojeda elaborated: “If there is an allegation of gender-based violence, the institution must separate the player and refrain from presenting him publicly until the judicial process is resolved. Young fans deserve a responsible example from the club. Management should lead by example.”
Ojeda also noted that clubs operate with autonomy, but they should consider the broader impact of their decisions while the legal process unfolds.