Ex-Wolves & Nottingham Forest striker Rafa Mir issues statement after being released on bail for alleged sexual assault

On Wednesday, Mir was granted bail as the authorities looked into the grave claims that the footballer and his friend had sexually assaulted two women. The 27-year-old was taken into custody on Sunday after the police complaints of sexual assault. According to their statements, the women met Mir and fellow footballer Pablo Jara in a bar and then accompanied them to Mir's home. One woman claimed that the Valencia striker sexually assaulted her, while the other claimed Jara physically assaulted her after she refused to engage in sexual behaviour.

Mir's passport has been seized as part of the terms of his release, and he is not allowed to communicate with the alleged victims. A restraining order has also been filed which requires the striker to maintain a distance of 500 meters from the women. In addition, Mir must appear in court on a weekly basis and is not allowed to leave Spain whilst the legal proceedings are pending. The Valencia striker's lawyer has now released a statement on the events.

Rafa Mir's lawyer Jaime Campaner Munoz, issued an official statement on Thursday, which read: "In light of the incessant and overwhelming number of publications in the media and social networks, as well as calls and attempts to contact media outlets in this country, our professional office is forced to issue this information note:

1.- Rafa Mir categorically denies the charges against him and, as announced by the press office of the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community, he was released on bail yesterday.

2.- Rafa Mir's presumption of innocence must be respected, as required by both the Spanish Constitution and European Directive 2016/343.

3.- The recently opened criminal proceedings will serve to clarify the facts and will show that the charge is not sustained.

4.- Judicial proceedings are confidential (article 301 of the Criminal Procedure Law), so given the apparent biased and partial leak of elements supposedly extracted from the summary, this defence will not participate in any parallel trial.

5.- Neither Mr Mir nor his defence attorney will make statements to the media, limiting themselves to actively participating in the criminal process that is still in its embryonic phase."

Mir and Jara have maintained that the sexual contact between them and the women was completely consensual. The court case will now take place over the course of the next few months to investigate the allegations and the footballers' potential criminal involvement.