Boca Juniors: coach accused of sexual harassment by the press secretary

A new case of sexual abuse in women’s football is looming. Boca Juniors won the Superclasico with River Plate (3-0) a few hours ago, played in front of 12,000 spectators at the Bombonera, when the news arrives that the complaint presented by Florencia Marco, press officer of the Gladiadoras, has passed from the Department of Inclusion and Equality to ordinary Argentine justice, taken over by the prosecutor’s office. The accused is coach Jorge Martinez, 49, a former Boca and River footballer with little notable spells at Real Zaragoza and in the Albiceleste national team. At the moment the investigations are still covered by the secrecy of the preliminary investigation phase but it has emerged that Florencia Marco, who has worked at Boca Juniors since 2011, declared that she had suffered harassment and intimidation from Martinez since he became the coach of the women’s team in January 2022. Marco also added that she was groped at the Casa Amarilla sports center before the Copa Libertadores final last October.

Two months ago the complaint

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The lawsuit was presented to the Department of Inclusion and Equality on February 1st, which did not prove to be particularly diligent as it had already happened in the past. The institution, which is also directed by the vice president of Boca Adriana Bravo, had suggested that the woman take a holiday and the club then granted her a leave that was renewed from month to month until the procedure was completed, while Martinez said continued to do his job regularly. The Department had already been challenged in May 2022, when Sebastian Villa had been reported for sexual assault and attempted murder but had not been suspended immediately, as had already occurred two years earlier when his ex-partner had previously accused him of assault and threats. The club has not yet expressed an official position on the matter.