Velez Sarsfield suspended the contracts of the four footballers who were accused of sexual abuse allegedly committed on 3 March in San Miguel de Tucuman and who were "deprived of their freedom" on Monday.

In a statement released on its social networks, the Liniers-based club, which had already removed them from the rest of the squad as a precautionary measure, informed that it "resolved the suspension of the employment contract" of Sebastian Sosa, Jose Florentin, Braian Cufre and Abiel Osorio, accused of "sexual abuse with carnal access aggravated by 2 or more persons".

The victim, a 24-year-old woman, accused the footballers several days after the attack allegedly committed on 3 March, detailing that they abused her in a hotel where she had gone for an arranged meeting with Uruguayan goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa.

After the woman submitted to the Gesell camera, the courts requested that the players be "deprived of their liberty" for 48 hours, until a new hearing is held to determine whether they will be remanded in custody.

According to the complainant's lawyers, the defendants agreed to hand over DNA samples and their mobile phones for the corresponding expertise. The events allegedly occurred on Sunday 3 March, when the team was in the north-western Argentinean town for a League Cup match against Atletico Tucuman.

J. Florentín

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