Overview
- The Ferrol investigating court, which ordered the opening of oral proceedings Thursday, directed a coach and a spectator to stand trial for allegedly targeting a female referee with homophobic abuse.
- Prosecutors will pursue charges for discriminatory injury to dignity under Penal Code Article 510.2(a) and 5 in concurrence with offenses against moral integrity under Article 173.1.
- The magistrate said the insults were delivered in public with the intent to wound the referee’s dignity because of her sexual orientation or identity.
- The case stems from a January 12, 2025 youth match, where the coach was expelled and then used a slur quoted in the court record as “puta bollera de mierda,” with a spectator repeating similar terms.
- The Audiencia Provincial de A Coruña will hear the case, and the ruling highlights that abuse of officials in youth sports can be prosecuted as a crime motivated by protected characteristics.