June 10 – Former Colombia women’s U17s coach Didier Luna has escaped jail time in his sexual harassment case after striking a deal with the prosecutor, but his trial has cast another shadow over the Colombian women’s game.
On Monday, Brazil dropped out of the bidding race for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, citing financial reasons and insufficient government guarantees, passing their support to Colombia, but the track record of the last bidding nation from CONMEBOL in the race was dealt another serious blow after Luna avoided a 28-month prison sentence following an agreement with the prosecutor’s office.
In the trial, Luna accepted the charges of sexual harassment. Carolina Rozo, the U17s team physiotherapist, said that she was sexually harassed by Luna on several occasions. The agreement between Luna and the prosecutor allows the former coach to pay a fine instead of serving time, while his criminal record won’t show sexual harassment, with the sentence reduced to showing having caused an injury.
In his sentencing, the judge considered that Luna carried out several acts of personal pressure against the victim “in order to obtain non-consensual sexual favours, and used his superiority, since he held the position of technical director of the U17 women’s team while she was a physiotherapist. ”
The judge further added that “it is necessary to send both the prisoner, Luna, and the community in general, a message of total and absolute repudiation of the crime of sexual harassment against women in any setting in which it occurs.”
The commuted sentence, however, sends a different signal to society and the Colombian women’s game that has long been pocked by discrimination, underfunding and general neglect.
In the past few days, Atlético Huila’s women’s team have had their funding for next season removed, with the club’s management citing the coronavirus pandemic as the reason to shutdown operations. In 2018, Huila became the first Colombian team to win the women’s Copa Libertadores, defeating Brazil’s Santos in the final.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1734925323labto1734925323ofdlr1734925323owedi1734925323sni@o1734925323fni1734925323