Cuca on rape accusation: ‘silence sounds like cowardice’ – 03/11/2024 – Sport

In a statement on Sunday night (11) after Athletico-PR defeated Londrina 6-0 and advanced to the semi-finals of the Campeonato Paranaense, coach Cuca, announced by the team last week, addressed the accusation of rape that has been with him for almost 40 years. In 1987, he and three other Grêmio players were tried on charges of raping a 13-year-old girl in Switzerland.

Cuca stated that, at first, he believed that the annulment of the conviction by the Swiss Court would free him from the weight he was carrying, but he realized that a real change would only happen after understanding his role in an unequal and violent society against women.

“Success, money, fame are useless if you get lost along the way. I thought I was free from my anguish when the resolution of my problem in Switzerland had happened, with the annulment, the dismissal, the compensation. But it’s not over. I understood that it wasn’t over because it didn’t just depend on a court decision, but also on understanding what society expects of me”, said the coach.

In January, the Swiss court accepted Cuca’s defense argument that the coach was sentenced in absentia, without legal representation, and that he could have a new trial. However, the Swiss Public Prosecutor’s Office claimed that this would not be possible given that the crime was time-barred, so it suggested the annulment of the sentence and the termination of the case. Thus, Cuca was not acquitted on the merits.

He stated that he preferred to make a statement based on a text previously written by him with the help of his wife and daughters to “not risk making mistakes, I’m not very good with words”.

Cuca said that he chose to withdraw into himself for a long time without talking about it, and even so, he was able to carry on with his life without any major problems, because the “world of football and the world of men in which I live” adopted a lenient stance. “A woman who goes through any type of violence cannot go on with her life without remaining hurt. The impact lasts forever.”

According to the coach, after reflecting on things over the last few months, he realized that remaining silent was no longer an option.

“I understand that I can no longer withdraw, remain silent, because silence sounds like cowardice,” said the Athletico-PR coach.

According to the trainer, it is necessary to recognize that men and women are treated differently by society as a first step on a journey towards greater gender equality.

“Reality has to be transformed so that the world is a safer place for women and all of us,” said Cuca.

In his speech, he also cited columnist Milly Lacombe, from UOL, recalling a text written by her that said that, when being asked to talk about the topic, it was not just a charge towards coach Cuca. “I understood what she meant,” the coach said. It is a discussion that goes beyond the figure of the coach of a popular football team and that brings to the center of the debate the way in which men and society as a whole treat women, “with inequality, and, sometimes, in a violent way .”

Upon taking over Athletico-PR, the coach returned to command a team after his quick stint at Corinthians, in 2023. At the time, before the process was annulled, Cuca resigned about a week after taking over, due to protests from some fans for his signing.

His stay at Parque São Jorge became unsustainable due to pressure from fans, especially women, outraged by the club’s stance in the face of the case of sexual violence registered against him in Switzerland.

“The world is changing and I think it’s for the better. And that’s why I’m realizing that there’s no point in me being a great coach, a great father, a great grandfather, a great husband, a great brother, a great husband, if I don’t understand that the world is made up of other things besides football and that I am part of these things too”, said Cuca, whose signing for Furacão was heavily criticized by the club’s female fans on social media.

The coach also said that, from now on, he wants to use his projection as a successful football professional to raise awareness among other people about the challenges faced by women in society, especially young people who dream of one day becoming a player.

“Masculinity, power, sudden success, fame, everything is a challenge for any young man. Many get lost along the way.” The lack of adequate training from the youth teams was even pointed out by experts as one of the reasons for the rape crimes committed by former Brazilian national team players, Daniel Alves and Robinho.