Colombian football player and Boca Juniors star Sebastián Villa was found guilty today of gender-based violence against his former partner Daniela Cortés and sentenced to two years and one month in prison. Villa was tried after being accused of aggravated minor injuries and threats against Cortés in a 2020 incident that took place when the couple lived together in a gated community in the city of Canning, in Buenos Aires province. 

Because Villa was sentenced to less than three years in prison, the minimum term required for mandatory jail time, he will not be incarcerated. However, the ruling dictates that Villa establish a residence and appear before the court once every two months, as well as refraining from contacting the victim or her family. He must also avoid drugs and alcohol, and attend seminars on gender violence.

Villa’s status as a player for Boca Juniors is unknown. The sentence does not prevent him from working, but the football club has still not said anything on the conviction, nor if it changes their position regarding the player’s contract, which is valid until 2024. Boca has allowed Villa to play since the accusations first appeared.

The incident for which Villa was convicted took place on April 27, 2020. In a video published on social media where she could be seen with blood on her mouth, Cortés accused Villa of beating her, and also detailed other violent episodes she suffered at his hands. “He is a physical and psychological abuser,” Cortés said in the footage.   

This is the first of two legal proceedings related to gender-based violence the Colombian footballer is facing. The second, also involving Cortés, allegedly took place in the house Villa was living in after moving out of the home he shared with his former partner. Cortés accused him of “sexual abuse” in June 2021, a case the acting prosecutor recently requested be brought to trial. The court must now decide if the bar for this is met, and either set a date or dismiss it. 

-with information from Télam