Former Espanyol mascot Carme Coma has spoken out about the incident that saw former Celta Vigo captain Hugo Mallo convicted of sexual assault this week, after he touched her chest without her consent under her costume. Five years after the incident occurred, she was finally given justice.
The incident occurred before a match at the RCDE Stadium, when as she was shaking hands with the players, Mallo put his hand under her costume. Coma was pleased that she had been backed up by the law.
“Very satisfied, calm and secure. Until now I have not wanted to speak out of respect for my privacy and justice. I am not afraid because in the end justice has given veracity to my truth,” she explained in an interview with Sport.
Later she would attend Cadena Cope too, assuring that she felt comforted by the fact that the justice system still functions. Mallo was ordered to pay €1k in damages plus interest, which could rise to around €6k. Originally the prosecution had sought 24 months of salary as a punishment, but Coma was not disappointed in the sentence itself.
“I did not want any financial compensation, but rather that justice be done. I have my job, I earn my living honestly and I didn’t want money but justice. Women who are victims of abuse always have to give up financial compensation because we are labeled opportunists. And in my case, with cameras in front of and in front of 25,000 people, this person has committed a crime that until the verdict was out there were still people who doubted it. This happens in other areas and in many places. It could have happened to the neighbor across the street, it could have been anyone.”
"I did not want any financial compensation, but rather that justice be done. I have my job, I earn my living honestly and I didn't want money but justice. Women who are victims of abuse always have to give up financial compensation because we are labeled opportunists."
Carme… pic.twitter.com/YB9TNWs6a4
— Football España (@footballespana_) September 13, 2024
After the incident, Coma said she was in a state of shock. Mallo has denied that he did touch Coma’s bosom but a judge ruled this week that he was guilty of sexual assault.
“Very shocking, I was shocked. In the five years I played the role of ‘parakeet’ in Cornella I never imagined that this could happen to me. At no time could I imagine that that person would touch me that way: the ‘parakeet’ has a chin that reaches to the chest, which is like gauze, and he put his hand underneath and touched me. I was in shock, the only thing I could do was try to elbow him, shout ‘b******’ and step back.”
In the dressing room, she told a colleague who also acts as a mascot, and there her sister. That night she wrote a letter to Celta Vigo and Espanyol, before the following deal presenting an official complaint to the police.
“I felt shame, fear, disgust. People who wanted the best for me told me that it was still better not to report it to protect myself. And also having to listen to other people say ‘this is nothing’, ‘it’s too much for what he did’…”
“If it makes someone think twice, that’s fine with me. What used to be seen as mischief is now a crime,” Coma explained, going on to assure that these sorts of incidents will no longer be accepted in society.
Coma also commented that at no point did anyone from Celta or Espanyol apologise to her for what happened in the workplace.
