Real Madrid Youth Players Arrested for Distributing Sexual Video Featuring a Minor

Several players on Real Madrid CF's youth and reserve teams have been detained by Spanish police for sharing a sexually explicit video featuring a minor on Whatsapp, Spanish outlet El Confidencial reported Thursday.

Per the outlet, at least three players have been arrested, but several more from different levels within Real Madrid, including the club's first team, appear to be involved.

Real Madrid released a statement Thursday, confirming that a player for Real Madrid Castilla, the club's reserve team, and three players on Real Madrid C, the club's second reserve team, have spoken with La Guardia Civil, Spain's national police force.

A complaint was filed September 6 in the Canary Islands (a Spanish principality off the coast of Morocco) by the mother of the minor in the video, per El Confidencial. The complaint alleges that the minor was filmed having consensual sex, but that the video was circulated to other players on WhatsApp without the minor's consent. The outlet states that the video may have been distributed among multiple teams within the club.

The primary target of the investigation, per the outlet, is an unnamed 16-year-old who plays for Real Madrid C, and who had a sexual relationship with the minor.

Real Madrid did not offer more information in the club's short statement. "When the club has detailed knowledge of the facts, we will take the appropriate measures," Real Madrid said in the statement.

Per the U.S. State Department, Spain carries a sentence of one to five years in prison for child pornography, including distributing or knowingly possessing child pornography.

The incident comes as Spain faces a reckoning around sexism in sport and society, spurred when now-former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales kissed a player without her consent during the Women's World Cup trophy ceremony.