Brazil coach Corinthians resigns after rape conviction

Convicted in Switzerland for the rape of a girl in 1987 when he was a footballer for Grêmio, Alexi Stival, aka Cuca, resigned from Corinthians after only two games.

The turning point

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The investigation into Cuca in Switzerland has recently taken a turn. Interviewed by the Uol website, the lawyer Willi Egloff, representative of the victim Sandra Pfäffli, said that the girl recognized Cuca as one of the attackers while in the presentation conference at Corinthians the coach had instead denied having been recognized by the victim. Egloff also confirmed the information from the Bern newspaper “Der Bund”, which at the time reported that there were biological traces of the Brazilian on the girl. “He was convicted of sexual relations with a minor,” the lawyer reiterated.

The case

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At the time, Cuca was a Grêmio striker, he was 24 years old and ended up being arrested with his teammates Eduardo Hamester, Henrique Etges and Fernando Castoldi, on charges of raping Sandra Pfäffli, 13 at the time. The four players remained in prison for nearly 30 days. They returned to Brazil after testifying more than once and the preliminary phase of the trial was closed. Fernando was the first of the players to be released on probation on August 27 of that year. Sentencing came two years later, but none of them were arrested.

Pressures

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Despite his rich palmarés as a coach, a Libertadores at the helm of Atlético Mineiro (2013), two national championships (2016 with Palmeiras and 2021 with Atlético Mineiro himself), the signing of Cuca by Corinthians had been criticized by the media and part of the club’s organized supporters, especially by women. Even the Corinthians players have issued a statement without mentioning the name of the coach: “Respect the rules minas (girls in Brazilian slang), it’s not just a phrase”, they underlined, recalling a motto widely used by the club to repudiate the lack of respect for women. Even sports commentators such as Casagrande, a former striker from Ascoli, Turin and Corinthians, have criticized harshly the engagement of Cuca.

Resignation

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After Corinthians’ victory, several players ran to embrace the coach to celebrate qualification for the Brazilian Cup, pushed by goalkeeper Cassio, the hero of the match for having saved one of the spot kicks against Remo. Shortly after Cuca announced his resignation which he had already thought about even on the eve of the match. The Corinthians management had declared that they believed in his innocence, while some players reaffirmed their trust in the coach.

The vent

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After the match, Cuca vented to explain his resignation: “Before this dream came true, there were three, four very heavy days for me. Nightmare. What I suffered was almost a massacre. I was very concentrated on this decision, I didn’t want to divert attention. Today I was moved. I’ve been here for five days, but everyone has supported me. I haven’t asked for anything, but they have heard, as a former player that I am, what I’m feeling. judged and punished via the internet”. The technician said his family also received threats, and insisted on his innocence.