The fired coach of the Chivas soccer team is alleged to have tried to force a female employee at the club to touch his private parts, it was revealed this week.
Belen Coronado, the team’s podiatrist, told news media that Argentine coach Ricardo La Volpe had entered her room wearing only a towel. She said he grabbed her hand and moved it toward his genitals. The incident lasted only ten seconds and was “one of the worst” moments of her life, she said. “I would never imagine that a person could stoop to this level.”
Coronado said she did not tell her bosses immediately for fear of losing her job.
La Volpe returned several days later to apologize, Coronado said. He asked her to keep the incident to herself and promised to help advance her career.
After Coronado informed her superiors of the incident, team owner Jorge Vergara summoned La Volpe to a meeting during which he was dismissed.
Coronado later filed a denuncia (complaint) with the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office.
On Tuesday La Volpe was summoned to appear at the prosecutor’s office to answer questions arising from the complaint but did not show up. As the case is not considered “grave,” La Volpe is only obliged to attend a third and final summons. Reports indicate he has left the country.
Attorney General Luis Carlos Najera said this week it is unlikely La Volpe will spend time in jail. “Sexual harassment is a new offense and not regarded as a crime,” he told reporters. “These cases usually end up with agreement between the parties involved. The law obliges us to look for conciliation or an alternative form of settlement.”
Vergara said the Chivas will be supporting Coronado fully and “provide evidence” to support her case. He said La Volpe had admitted his behavior to him and accused the coach of “lying” at a later press conference when he denied the charges. La Volpe had no reason to accept his dismissal if he were innocent, Vergara noted.
Two days after his firing, La Volpe told reporters that he had entered Coronado’s room to question her on why she was massaging the players’ knees with arnica, a substance often used for strains, sprains and bruises. He said as a podiatrist, she was only responsible for the players’ feet. He admitted being brusque but denied sexual harassment.
La Volpe, known as “El Bigotón” for his thick mustache, has worked in Mexican soccer for 35 years and managed the national team for four years. Always a controversial figure with a quick temper, he has fallen out with several club owners and players over the years, highlighted by a longstanding feud with Mexico’s most successful ever player, Hugo Sanchez.