Spanish footballer Hugo Mallo is set to face trial on accusations of inappropriately touching a mascot before a 2019 game, according to court officials on Wednesday.
The incident allegedly occurred when Mallo was with Celta Vigo before a Spanish league match against Espanyol.
Denying any wrongdoing, the 32-year-old, who could face a fine if found guilty, is currently playing for the Brazilian club Internacional.
Prosecutors said Mallo 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 case was initially dismissed, but that decision was overturned on appeal.
Mallo posted a statement on Instagram calling for "respect,” noting the earlier dismissal of the case and pointing out that neither Celta nor Espanyol had found evidence of wrongdoing.
The sports daily As, which first reported that Mallo would go on trial, said the player told the court that the television images of the incident show he did nothing wrong. The court said the images were enough to open a trial, though, which is expected to take place in July.
The local COPE radio network spoke with Mallo, who said he was sure of an acquittal based on the images. He said he was fully focused on the game, with Celta in a relegation battle.
Mallo, who used to be a Celta captain, said in his statement Wednesday that both sides appealed the dismissal. The Spanish defender said he wanted the ruling to fully exonerate him – not to say there was insufficient evidence against him.
Mallo said the case was reopened by the court only to resolve discrepancies. He reiterated that he would be testifying as an innocent party.
He noted that neither La Liga nor the Spanish Federation had opened disciplinary proceedings against him.
Internacional told the Brazilian media that it was fully confident that the player was innocent and expected the case to be dismissed again.
