Genoa have decided not to suspend midfielder Manolo Portanova following the Siena court’s decision to sentence him to jail for participating in a gang rape.
The 22-year-old Rossoblu midfielder has been accused of raping a 21-year-old student at a house party in Siena in May 2021 alongside his uncle Alessio Langella, 23 and two of his friends, Alessandro Cappiello, 25, and an unnamed 17-year-old.
Yesterday Portanova and his uncle Langella requested a fast-track trial and were sentenced to six years in jail. They’ve also been ordered to pay €120,000 in compensation to the victim’s family. Crucially, requesting a fast-track trial is not an admission of guilt, allowing the Genoa midfielder to appeal.
La Repubblica details how Genoa have decided not to suspend Portanova following the sentencing, meaning he’ll continue training with his teammates and will be called up to play in Genoa’s upcoming games against Sudtirol and Ascoli.
The Ligurian club seemingly explained their position, telling the newspaper: “The conviction of Manolo Portanova is a unique case for now in the world of Italian football, there are no precedents and we are studying how to behave, always starting from the assumption that this is only the first degree of judgement and until the final sentence for us the presumption of innocence applies.”