Lucas Piazon, Andrey Arrest Warrants Issued Amid Sexual Assault Claims

Toronto Police issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Brazilian footballers Lucas Piazon and Andrey da Silva Ventura over sexual assault charges.

The warrants were confirmed in a statement on the department’s website, in which it is claimed the pair, who were part of the Brazil squad for the Pan American Games earlier this year, sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman at her home in Toronto on June 26.

Here is the image included in the article of the two players in question, per Toronto-based journalist Kevin Masterman:

Inspector Joanna Beavens-Desjardins provided further details of the alleged incident at a press conference on Thursday, per the aforementioned piece: "They socialized with the victim and accompanied the two women to a Toronto residence. The victim, once she arrived at home, went to sleep. They entered her bedroom and sexually assaulted her. She awoke and both of them left the residence."

Piazon, currently on loan at Reading from Premier League giants Chelsea, has been issued with a provincial warrant, with Beavens-Desjardins confirming to the press that he will not be extradited as a result. However, the inspector did state that should the youngster come back to the country, he’d be “arrestable.”

Andrey, a 22-year-old goalkeeper for fourth-tier Brazilian team Botafago-SP, has been issued a Canada-wide warrant and could be subject to extradition according to Beavens-Desjardins, although there is no extradition treaty currently in place between the two countries.

Pete Norton/Getty Images

The Chelsea man is a young player who seemed set for stardom when the Blues snapped him up in 2012, and while he’s still developing at 21 years old, he’s yet to show many signs of fulfilling his early potential. 

He’s made five league appearances for the Royals in the Championship this season, notching two assists and two goals in the process.

As noted by the Toronto Police website, earlier this year there was also a warrant issued for the arrest of Brazil’s water polo player Thye Mattos Ventura Bezerra, who was accused of sexual crimes against a 22-year-old woman. He was also in the Canadian city to compete in the Pan American games.