A former Spanish star whose name was tied to Lionel Messi's final matches with Barcelona has been told by judges to prepare for prison on a charge of sexual assault in the coming days, according to a press report.
The newspaper "AS" reports that the Third Section of the Almeria court has given the defence team of former Celta Vigo player Santi Mina ten days to present its arguments on the execution of the sentence.
Mina faces four years in prison for a sexual assault committed in 2017, a sentence the Supreme Court has declared final.
The Almeria court's ruling grants the convicted man's legal representation this window to "present the allegations relating to the execution of his sentence in the same document".
An ordinary suspension is off the table because the sentence exceeds two years. Once this procedure is complete, the next judicial step will be an order for the player's voluntary admission to the prison of his choosing.
Judges are also asking the Galician footballer to comment on how far he will comply with the "prohibition on approaching the victim to within less than 500 metres and communicating with her by any means, for a period of twelve years".
The court reprimands Mina and warns him that he may "commit the offence of breaching the ruling in the event of non-compliance" with these restrictions.
Its decision gives the Public Prosecution a chance to present its position on how to pay the civil compensation of 25,000 euros imposed on the player for moral damages. The ruling also upholds the acquittal of his fellow player David Goldar.
This execution process follows last September's decision by the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, which ratified the ruling against Mina for sexually assaulting a woman in the early hours of 16 June 2017 in a parked truck near a nightclub in Mojacar (Almeria).
Spoiling Messi's farewell with Barcelona
Mina's name was tied to spoiling Messi's farewell to Barcelona, ending "the Flea's" journey with Barca in painful fashion.
Messi played his final match in a Barcelona shirt on 16 May 2021 against Celta Vigo in the Spanish league.
At the Camp Nou, in the 37th round of the campaign, Barcelona fell surprisingly to their guests Celta Vigo (1-2).
Lionel Messi struck first for Barca in the 28th minute. Mina levelled for the visitors just 10 minutes later, then added a second in the 89th minute to end the Blaugrana's dream of a second consecutive La Liga title.
Rejecting the 29 grounds of the defence's appeal
The Supreme Court rejected all twenty-nine grounds of the defence's appeal, finding that the defendant acted "taking advantage of the narrow and unfamiliar space" of the victim, and "that he was blocking the only exit and she was in a state of shock".
Its ruling affirmed a first "surprise" attack, which in itself indicates the absence of consent, followed by a second attack carried out explicitly "despite the absence of consent from the victim".
Judges rejected any kind of error regarding the woman's will. They stated that the fact the athlete stopped when the young woman demanded it "establishes the moment at which the act ended and explains why the court ruled out the use of violence or intimidation. It does not establish that the victim had previously consented or that the defendant believed she had consented".
According to the decision, the woman "suffers from severe anxiety and depressive symptoms linked to the events, that her daily life has been greatly affected, and that she suffers from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder".
The Supreme Court also rejected the appeal from the victim's legal team, which demanded an eight-year prison term for the player on a charge of sexual assault.
That request fell because the account of the court of first instance did not describe Mina's use of "coercive violence" to compel the young woman.
Mina played for Spain's national teams from youth level up to the under-21 side, but he never wore the senior shirt.