Foul! Soccer Peeping Tom arrested

A collegiate soccer referee was caught offside and arrested by police last Sunday for allegedly taking videos of varsity players taking a shower using his cellular telephone camera at the Ateneo de Manila University’s Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.

Referee Dennis Valoria, 30, who is connected with the Association of Football Referees, was taken to the Quezon City Police District station 9 at around noon after he was caught by players and coaches of two schools who were having a volleyball game that day.

Police Officer 1 Arturo Infante of the QCPD Station 9 said they found video footage of female players taking their shower that were stored in the suspect’s Nokia N91 cellular phone.

He said the case has been transferred to the women’s desk of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit for charges of violation of laws on violence against women.

Infante said a volleyball player of the University of Santo Tomas saw the suspect take videos of female players at the shower. The player told her coach and teammates and also members of rival team Far Eastern University.

The players and coaches luckily were able to apprehend Valoria, who was about to escape the Ateneo campus along Katipunan road.

Ricky Palou, head of Ateneo’s Athletic Department, said it was the first time that such an incident happened at a game of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

Palou told The STAR that the UAAP leadership is scheduled to meet to discuss the incident and institute corrective measures like posting a guard to secure the shower and locker rooms of players.

He said the affected players should file the proper charges against Valoria.

Palou added that he is sure Valoria would immediately be removed from his post following the incident.