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(CNN Spanish) - Uruguayan soccer player Nicolás de la Cruz, of the Argentine River Plate club, was released after being detained for a few hours by the police in Paraguay. The steering wheel of the champion club and again finalist of the Copa Libertadores may play this Thursday against rival Cerro Porteño.
This Wednesday, the soccer player Nicolás de la Cruz was arrested by the Paraguayan police in the hotel where he is staying on the outskirts of Asunción. He was transferred to the prosecution and the courts, to be held accountable for an imputation that dates back three years, when the Paraguayan justice accused him of aggression.
The player had been charged and declared in absentia for not submitting to investigative statements. At that time, De la Cruz was part of the Uruguayan Liverpool squad and the events occurred after a final of the Copa Libertadores, sub 20 category.
According to the accusation, the player starred in a fight with the police at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asunción.
This Tuesday, the player arrived in Paraguay with the entire squad of the Argentine River Plate club to play the second leg for the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores against Cerro Porteño.
According to Oscar Tuma, lawyer of De la Cruz, his client was never notified by the Paraguayan justice of the charges, so he maintains that the player was not aware of any pending cause. Despite being taken to the prosecutor's office on Wednesday, the soccer player refrained from testifying there and did not speak to the press either. CNN has tried to communicate with De la Cruz but has not received an answer.
In a tweet about the incident of which he is accused after the 2016 game, @ nicodelacruz10 expressed regret for his behavior and said “I want to thank all the people who were throughout the tournament, apologize for the painful end and acknowledge my mistake , the road continues. ”
After his appearance before an Asunción court, the River Plate steering wheel was released with measures replacing preventive detention. He pledged a bond equivalent to about US $ 7,000, which according to the prosecution will be donated to a children's hospital.
As the case remains open, De la Cruz must appear every three months in court. His defense has already announced that he will do so before the Paraguayan consulate in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he resides. The judge of the case, Alcides Corbeta, clarified that the prosecution has until December 28 to present its conclusions.
The president of the River Plate Club asked for protection for the fans of River who are arriving in Asunción, and said that the rematch of this episode with Nicolás de la Cruz, will be on the court this Thursday.
River plate