Raúl Asencio Faces Trial Over Intimate Video in Las Palmas as Real Madrid Opens Disciplinary Case

A trial that has been hanging over Raúl Asencio for months begins Thursday in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, landing right as the Real Madrid defender goes through one of the toughest stretches of his career. And that's not his only problem. The club has just announced it is opening an internal disciplinary case against him, this time over a separate conviction tied to driving under the influence of alcohol. Two different stories, one player, and a season that keeps getting more complicated off the field.

Let's break it down. Thursday's trial stems from events in the summer of 2023 at a beach club in Amadores, in the south of Gran Canaria. Three of Asencio's former Castilla teammates, Ferrán Ruiz, Juan Rodríguez and Andrés García, had fully consensual sex with two young women, 17 and 18 years old. The trouble came afterward: according to the prosecution, they recorded videos and photos of the encounter without the women's permission and then shared them over WhatsApp with other people, even after the women asked them to delete everything. One of those videos ended up on Asencio's phone, and he stands accused of receiving and watching it while knowing where it had come from.

Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for the Real Madrid defender on two counts of privacy violations. But there's a legal wrinkle that could change everything: this type of offense is semi-public, meaning that if the victims confirm at trial that they forgive him, the criminal liability disappears. And that forgiveness is already all but locked in. Representatives for the two young women dropped their accusations after a settlement, the amount of which has not been made public, along with a formal apology from the player. The prosecutor, however, insisted that the forgiveness be formalized at the hearing itself rather than through a notarized document alone, so the court can confirm the women are granting it freely and with full understanding.

His three former teammates are in a different and more serious situation. On top of the privacy charge, they face an accusation of child pornography, which cannot be waived through victim forgiveness. If they fail to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors, they could face sentences of up to four years and seven months in prison. The hearing is scheduled across three sessions, Thursday the 3rd, Friday the 4th and Monday the 7th, before the Criminal Section of the Las Palmas Court of Instance, and all four defendants will be allowed to appear by videoconference.

The other front: the club's sanction

While all that plays out, Asencio is also dealing with another conviction, this one for driving under the influence of alcohol, which cost him a fine and the suspension of his license. Real Madrid decided to open an internal disciplinary proceeding over that episode, and it was José Mourinho himself who confirmed it to reporters.

While the process is open, I see him as a Real Madrid player. He's injured and will be out for a couple more weeks. That helps me not have to deal with this problem right now.José Mourinho

The Portuguese coach didn't hide his frustration, though he also stood up for the defender's professionalism. Asencio hasn't played this season because of a muscle injury.

He's a model professional. When he was fit, nobody trained harder or better than him. Now he's the first one in and the last one to leave. But a Real Madrid player is a Real Madrid player 24 hours a day, seven days a week, twelve months a year. Everything you do off the field still reflects on Real Madrid. It keeps damaging the prestige of a club that is untouchable. I'm not happy, and everyone makes mistakes, but a pattern of mistakes is a different matter.José Mourinho

With the video trial underway and the internal case now open, Asencio has several days ahead of him that will weigh far more than any training session. The injury, at least, buys him a couple of weeks before he has to turn his focus back to soccer alone.