September 09, (THEWILL) – The head coach of the Santos women’s football club in Brazil has stepped down after several players on the team accused him of sexual harassment, the club announced late on Thursday.
Kleiton Lima, who had been in charge of the Santos women’s squad since 2022, has denied the allegations, according to a statement released by the club. Multiple players reportedly sent evidence of the alleged abuse during training sessions to the Santos club president, Andres Rueda.
Lima was quoted by Brazilian website UOL as saying he has never faced accusations like this before and believes the players are trying to tarnish his reputation built over a 30-year coaching career. He previously led the Brazilian national women’s team during the 2011 Women’s World Cup tournament.
The harassment claims come as women’s football faces increased scrutiny over misconduct, following an incident last month, where the head of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, forcibly kissed a player after Spain won the World Cup. Rubiales refused to resign, but has been provisionally banned for 90 days by FIFA.
In response, 81 players on the Spanish women’s national team went on strike to protest Rubiales’ defiant reaction. Meanwhile, Spain women’s coach, Jorge Vilda, was dismissed on Tuesday, amid the ongoing fallout from the scandal.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
