Belgian girl assaulted by footballer during school trip to Athens

A Belgian girl was sexually assaulted by a professional footballer at a cafe in Athens, Het Nieuwsblad writes on Wednesday based on Greek media reports. The news has been confirmed by the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, which was informed by the embassy in Athens.

The Belgian embassy in Athens has provided consular assistance and continues to monitor the case closely, the FPS Foreign Affairs says. It confirmed that a Belgian girl was involved but would not provide further information.

According to Het Nieuwsblad, Greek police were called to a cafe in the Athens district of Kolonaki on Monday night. The girl, on a school trip to the city, was at the cafe with friends when the 33-year-old man, an Israeli goalkeeper who plays for Greek team Volos FC, started flirting with her. She appeared to be under the influence, at which point the man tried to convince her to have sex with him. She refused, after which he assaulted her, the newspaper writes.

Her friends notified the school trip supervisors and the police, who later caught the man. The girl was able to identify him at the police station. Volos FC immediately broke its contract with the man and a teammate who was present during the events, the club said on its website.

(BRV)

^{© PHOTO LOUISA GOULIAMAKI / AFP}