Why Raúl Asencio Was Acquitted in the Explicit-Video Case

The legal outcome for Raúl Asencio and three former Real Madrid academy players turned on an important distinction: Asencio was acquitted after the accusations against him were withdrawn, while the other three accepted convictions connected to the distribution of sexual material involving a minor. His clearance should not be read as a court finding that the footage was recorded or circulated with consent. 9

What the case concerned

The proceedings stemmed from explicit footage involving two young women at a private area of a beach club in the Canary Islands in June 2023. One of the women was 16 at the time. The allegations concerned the non-consensual recording and circulation of the footage.

Asencio was accused of sharing the video. Former academy players Andrés García, Ferrán Ruiz and Juan Rodríguez faced allegations relating to the recording and/or distribution of the material.

Why Asencio was acquitted

The two complainants withdrew their private accusations against the defendants. The public prosecutor then withdrew the charges against Asencio for the alleged privacy and disclosure-of-secrets offences, bringing the proceedings against him to an end.

That procedural result is the key point. An acquittal following the withdrawal of accusations does not amount to a judicial finding that the alleged recording or dissemination was consensual. Reporting described Asencio as having been cleared of charges concerning the alleged distribution of explicit footage involving a minor. 9

Outcome for García, Ruiz and Rodríguez

García, Ruiz and Rodríguez each accepted a one-year prison sentence for distributing child pornography, relating to material involving the 16-year-old. The sentences were reported as suspended rather than requiring immediate imprisonment.

Available reporting has referred to further court conditions or restrictions, but the supplied material does not establish their exact scope or duration consistently enough to state them as settled fact.

Asencio’s response

After the acquittal, Asencio said he was pleased that the legal process had concluded and maintained that he had not committed the alleged offence.

The defender also faced a separate, unrelated drink-driving case in Gran Canaria. He admitted the offence after breath-test readings of 0.90 mg/l and 0.88 mg/l, above the 0.25 mg/l legal limit cited in reporting. A court imposed a €14,400 fine and an eight-month driving suspension. 11011

He subsequently acknowledged wrongdoing, apologised and said he intended to focus fully on his conduct and football.

Real Madrid and Mourinho’s response to the driving conviction

Real Madrid opened internal disciplinary proceedings after the drink-driving conviction. José Mourinho said he was "not happy" and argued that a Real Madrid player represents the club at all times, adding that repeated mistakes affect the club’s prestige. 212

Mourinho nevertheless described Asencio as a strong professional in training when fit. At the time of the reports, no final internal sanction had been publicly announced. 720

Injury and squad context

Asencio’s availability has also been affected by a right-rectus-femoris muscle injury suffered in preseason. Reports said the injury limited his prospects of selection and complicated transfer speculation, while Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger and Ibrahima Konaté were among the central-defence options. 14

Reports that Mourinho had told Asencio to seek another club, and that his representatives were exploring options, remained reports rather than confirmation of an agreed transfer. His reported preference to stay at Real Madrid and his injury both added uncertainty to his immediate future.

The bottom line

Asencio was not convicted in the explicit-video case: the accusations against him were withdrawn and prosecutors dropped the charges, leading to his acquittal. The legal outcomes for his former teammates were different, with each accepting a suspended one-year sentence in relation to the distribution of material involving a minor. His later drink-driving conviction was a separate matter, and it prompted both a court penalty and internal disciplinary action from Real Madrid. 19