Portuguese footballer Rúben Semedo, who moved from Sporting CP to Spanish side Villarreal in a €14 million deal last year, has been charged with attempted murder and is in jail without bail for allegedly tying up and beating a man in his own home.
The 23-year-old defender is accused of crimes of attempted homicide, wounding, threats, unlawful detention, illegal possession of a gun and robbery with violence.
He appeared before a judge at a court in the town of Llíria, just north of Valencia, on Thursday, and was put in jail to await trial although his lawyer Bebiano Gomes says he could be released in 15 days if their appeal, which was due to be lodged as the Resident went to press on Wednesday, is successful.
The footballer’s victim alleges that Semedo threatened to cut off his finger and beat him with a baseball bat before shooting at him twice without hitting him as he escaped.
He claims that while he was being held hostage, Semedo and two other attackers ransacked his flat and stole over £20,000 and other valuables, including a computer.
He is said to have escaped after pretending to take them to the home of a friend who owed them money.
Following the accusations, police seized a gun at Semedo’s home in a luxury estate called Torre en Conill near Valencia. It was found in a basement used as a home disco, and local reports say the serial number had been wiped off.
The ordeal is believed to be linked to a row over a debt.
Semedo’s agent Cátio Baldé says the footballer was “the victim of a set-up”.
“Rúben was victim of a fraud, an enormous set-up. He didn’t react in the best way in the face of this situation but he was the victim,” he insisted.
“His family and I are by his side to help him overcome this moment. His career has been stained. Let’s hope it’s a case that has no serious consequences. It’s bad for a young athlete who was just starting a promising career,” Baldé added.
The only silver lining thus far for Semedo is that he has been cleared of charges over a separate incident outside a nightclub last October.
Meantime, the vice-president of Villarreal has lambasted the footballer, describing him as a poor example for children.
“Children should realise that they can be like Manu Trigueiros (a Villarreal footballer) or Rúben Semedo. He already had his problems in Portugal but made much less money,” José Llaneza said.
“He came here to make much more money and made fantastic friends who advised him to buy the best Mercedes and loan them money, telling him they would pay him back double what he had lent them,” he added.
The club has also suspended Semedo’s salary and contract.
However, the footballer has received much support from fellow teammates, most notably from Sporting CP star Gelson Martins who scored a last-minute game winner against Moreirense on Monday and dedicated the goal to Semedo with a message of support on a shirt he was wearing underneath his jersey.
However, removing a jersey during a football game is punished with a yellow card, and as Martins had already been booked, he was sent off and will miss Sporting’s next match against rival and fellow championship contender FC Porto.
By MICHAEL BRUXO michael.bruxo@algarveresident.com
Photo: Villarreal player Ruben Semedo arriving in court in Llíria, escorted by a Spanish civil guard, on February 22.
Photo by: EPA/MANUEL BRUQUE
