Velez Sarsfield suspends four players over rape investigation

Argentine first division club Vélez Sarsfield suspended four players on Thursday after a woman accused them of raping her last week.

Velez said he suspended goalkeeper Sebastián Sosa, defender Braian Cufré, midfielder José Ignacio Florentín and striker Abiel Osorio after learning that prosecutors had opened an investigation.

A sexual abuse complaint was filed in Tucuman, a city 1,200 kilometers north of Buenos Aires, where Velez played in a match against Atletico Tucuman on Saturday.

Local media reported that the woman told authorities that she agreed to join one of the players in a hotel room, but that there were also three other men.

The woman said she drank alcoholic drinks with the players, fell asleep in one of the beds and then was raped.

None of the four players or their representatives have commented on the investigation.

Vélez, an Argentine club with 10 domestic titles and the 1994 Copa Libertadores trophy, said it was ready “to provide all the relevant information and details so that it can help the investigation.”

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.