Rape allegation: proceedings against team players dropped

The Salzburg public prosecutor closed the investigation against an Austrian national soccer team player on charges of rape and attempted sexual abuse. In January 2020, a 26-year-old had filed a complaint for rape. When the case became public, a 29-year-old woman informed the police that the man had tried to have sexual intercourse while she was sleeping in the winter of 2006/07.

The accused national player had denied the allegations. His defense lawyer Kurt Jelinek has been informed that the proceedings have been terminated. “I confirmed that the Salzburg public prosecutor’s office, after carefully examining the facts of the matter, brought all allegations against my clients to a halt,” Jelinek told APA on Monday. He did not provide any further details.

According to the complaint of the 26-year-old from Salzburg, the national soccer player allegedly raped her on the night of January 4, 2020 in an apartment in Salzburg that contained several people. As a result, a preliminary investigation was launched against the footballer on suspicion of rape.