A historic Brazilian coach has his conviction for sexual abuse annulled:

The Brazilian coach Alexi Stival “Cuca” This Wednesday he expressed his “relief” for the decision of the Justice switzerland to annul the trial sexual abuse in which he was convicted in 1989 and which, unearthed by feminist groups, made him resign from the position of coach of the Corinthians last April.

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“I am relieved with the result and convinced that the last eight months“Although they were emotionally difficult, they occurred at the right time,” the coach said in a note released by his lawyers.

The defense also released a copy of a decision from December 27 in which the Berne-Mittelland Regional Court (Switzerland) annulled the sentence in which Cuca He was convicted of abuse of a minor during a club outing Guild to the European country in 1987.

In their decision, announced after the Brazilian's defenders requested a new trial last May, the judges identified some irregularities in the process and concluded that Stivel His right to defense was not fully respected, as he was sentenced in absentia and without a lawyer to represent him.

The court also rejected the request for a new trial considering that the case had already prescribed and determined the payment of compensation of 13,000 Swiss francs (about 15,278 dollars or 13,998 euros) to Cuca.

“Today I understand that I should have dealt with this matter much earlier,” said the coach when referring to the appeal against the conviction that he presented last year, some 34 years after the conviction, and that, although he did not declare him acquitted, At least it left him without pendency before the Justice.

Although he was imprisoned for a few weeks in Swiss along with three other colleagues from Guild Also convicted of the rape of a 13-year-old girl, the coach never served his sentence nor was he extradited, so the case was practically forgotten and did not affect the rest of his career as a soccer player or his successful career as a coach.

But on April 27 of last year, just a week after being named coach of the Corinthians, Cuca had to resign from the command of the second most popular club in Brazil due to pressure from feminist groups who remembered the case.

In addition to the strong pressure even from club fans, the entire squad of the women's professional team of the Corinthians He also joined the protests against the coach.

Since then he has not been hired by any other club again, which interrupted a 25-year career in command of twenty first division teams in Brazil without anyone having dusted off the old rape case.

Cuca and three other players were detained for a month in Swiss in 1987 accused of having had group sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl at the concentration hotel.

After paying bail, they were released on parole and returned to Brazil. Two years later, Cuca, who always denied the accusations, was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

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With information from EFE.

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