Brazil great Falcao quits job after assault accusation / Photo: ALEJANDRO PAGNI - AFP/File
-
Cash-strapped Senegalese unmoved by Youth Olympic Games
-
Yankees, White Sox, Padres advance, Phillies survive in MLB playoffs
-
Indonesia haze chokes neighbours, but little legal recourse
-
Tennessee woman in hospital after execution 'failed': lawyers
-
Samad launches Pakistan into first Asian Games men's cricket final
-
Cable car offers small hope for Mongolia's gridlocked capital
-
Yankees and White Sox advance, Phillies survive in MLB playoffs
-
Man City scandal risks damage to Premier League's booming brand
-
Asian stocks mixed as positive US data offset by elevated oil, bond yields
-
First-time Sepang F1 racers will master track 'from opening lap'
-
Rice work: Dutch test new crop to save sinking peatlands
-
Japan tightens rules for foreigners wanting permanent residency
-
Russians join street choirs to sing away sorrows -- or show dissent
-
'Happiest moment': China's Mu first woman to win eSports Games gold
-
UK fears grow over AI giant Palantir's health service deal
-
EU talks deportations as five nations seek migrant centre in Africa
-
Empty nets in Latin America as fish flee El Nino
-
Kenneth Branagh examines the scars of Iraq war in 'Atonement'
-
Meidroth blasts White Sox through, Phillies survive in MLB playoffs
-
Hundreds held, dozens wounded as French school protests escalate
-
'Catastrophic': Swiss glaciers lose fifth of mass in five years
-
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC Announces Transaction in Own Shares - October 01
-
Great Western Mining Corporation PLC Announces Board Change & Appointment of New CFO
-
US government's new AI chatbot pulls back from debunking Trump
-
California roller coaster shut after brain damage claims
-
US tennis star Navarro reveals health battle, ends season
-
Panama ministers push for reopening of huge open-pit copper mine
-
Panic, anger, tears: Evan Gershkovich's uneasy journey after Russian jail
-
Bohm's blast keeps Phillies alive in MLB playoffs
-
UK PM says 'strong indications' Iran involved in airbase incident
-
US judge accepts Paramount's Warner Bros. buyout settlement
-
Google restricts access to new AI model over safety concerns
-
Global stocks mixed as markets weigh higher oil prices, bond yields
-
Watchdog clears former US Fed chief Powell in renovation probe
-
Marsh hails improvements after Australia win final one-day international
-
Israel PM hails Indian pilot of rerouted flight for averting disaster
-
Hegseth says US cut number of generals, admirals by 20%
-
Fury, Joshua kick off 'battle of Britain' in good spirits
-
Kanye West's Russian concerts have been cancelled, organisers say
-
Ronaldo leaves Portugal training camp after coach says he is dropped
-
First Hollywood, now Fat Bear Week: nepobaby wins Alaska contest
-
Florence Pugh stars in 'East of Eden' adaption on Netflix
-
Barcelona lay down marker in Women's Champions League, Arsenal slip up
-
Watchdog finds no criminal misconduct over US Fed renovations despite Trump probe
-
US pushes against overproduction with eye on China at G20 meeting
-
In Manchester, City fans 'devastated' while rival fans call for relegation
-
Swiss FA withdraws support for FIFA chief Infantino
-
UK-France Channel migrant exchange deal scrapped: London
-
Man City's meteoric rise clouded by financial scandal
-
Portugal boss denies 'incident' with Ronaldo
Brazil great Falcao quits job after assault accusation
Retired Brazilian football legend Paulo Roberto Falcao has resigned from his job as sports coordinator at iconic club Santos after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her, an allegation he denied.
The woman, a receptionist at the building where Falcao lives in Santos, said the former footballer, who played a starring role on Brazil's 1982 World Cup team, had pressed his genitals against her arm on two occasions while she was at her desk, according to Brazilian media reports.
Falcao, 69, denied the accusation.
"Out of respect for Santos FC's fans... I have decided to leave the position of sports coordinator, effective today," the former midfielder said Friday in a statement on social media.
"My intention, first and foremost, is to protect the image of the institution. As for the accusation made today, which I was shocked to learn of from the media, I affirm it never happened."
Santos, the former club of late Brazilian icon Pele, confirmed in a brief statement that Falcao had left the job, which he had held since November last year.
Local police said they had opened an investigation of the case after the 26-year-old woman reported it Friday.
They said in a statement they could not give further details for privacy reasons.
Falcao was nicknamed the "King of Rome" for his glittering career at Roma in the 1980s. FIFA included him on a list of the 125 greatest living footballers in 2004.
A.Taylor--AT
