The selection of Uruguay and Argentina, during the Copa América.NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP
A security official of the Uruguayan delegation that participates in the Copa América was arrested this Monday by the police accused of intimidating and sexually harassing an employee of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol).
The events occurred on Sunday night, when the 45-year-old suspect, whose identity was not provided, allegedly harassed a 46-year-old woman at the hotel where the Uruguayan team is staying in that city, according to the Military Police of Cuiabá.
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According to the statement released by the Military Police, the woman, a security official hired by Conmebol, said that around 10:00 p.m. local time the subject greeted her and shortly afterwards began to harass her.
“On one of the occasions, he asked him what time he was leaving, how much money he earned, he asked him for a kiss and he put a 10-real (about two dollars) bill on the bench where he was sitting.
She refused, but he put another 10-real bill in her coat pocket, "the statement said.
The police said that members of the hotel's security team saw what happened through the surveillance cameras and when they realized that the man was holding the woman by the arm, they went to the scene, but the subject already he was gone.
The suspect was summoned to his room by the authorities and denied the woman's complaints.
He was later transferred to the Specialized Police Department for the Defense of Women, where he was fined for harassment and sexual harassment and was referred to a custody hearing.
Faced with the facts, Conmebol issued a brief statement in which it indicated that it rejects and "strongly" condemns any form of sexual harassment and said that it will remain attentive to the decisions of the authorities dealing with the complaint. "Conmebol will continue working for a football free of discrimination, violence and harassment and in favor of sport as an instrument for the development and growth of individuals and society," he added.
The controversy has accompanied the Copa América.
The Chilean team broke health protocols this weekend.
The Chilean Federation and the coaching staff admitted that the soccer players skipped the guidelines in the health bubble less than 24 hours after facing Uruguay on Monday.
A hairdresser entered the hotel of the concentration in the Brazilian city of Cuiabá.
The players involved, whose names were omitted, will be sanctioned by their federation and also by Conmebol.
Brazil faces a third wave of COVID-19 infections and has already exceeded half a million deaths.
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