Alex KirklandESPN FC
Celta Vigo have been obliged to allow forward Santi Mina, who was found guilty of sexual abuse earlier this year, to re-join them for preseason training, the club said on Monday.
Mina, 26 — a former Spain youth international — is appealing his conviction over the incident, which occurred in the province of Almeria in 2017.
In May, a court found that Mina had sexually abused a woman in a camper van and handed him a four-year prison sentence — while acquitting him of a charge of rape — and found former teammate David Goldar not guilty of acting as an accomplice.
At the time of his conviction, Celta said they had “provisionally removed” Mina from their first team and begun disciplinary proceedings against him.
“RC Celta has received an official communication in recent hours related to the situation of the player Santiago Mina Lorenzo,” the club said in a statement on Monday. “Via burofax, he has insisted on joining the team’s training sessions immediately, and so in this case the club is obliged to accept the presence of the player from this moment on in training, within the timings set out for his teammates.
“RC Celta reserves the right to claim, if his conviction is upheld, all damages caused to the club by the player’s behaviour, both financial and in terms of image, while respecting his right to appeal. RC Celta wants to stress that the footballer, given the legal situation that has arisen and the damage done to the image of this club, has rejected an offer to play for a team in another league.
“Finally, the club wants to state that it will never allow itself to be put under pressure by any member of staff who seeks to protect their private interests and, furthermore, expresses its surprise at this move by the player which is aimed at damaging RC Celta, which since the court ruling has acted in accordance with the values of this club and its fans, and which it will not give up under any circumstances.”
Mina made his LaLiga debut for Celta in 2013, before joining Valencia two years later. He returned to Celta in July 2019, and has scored 25 league goals over the last three seasons.
