The incident happened while Mangia was coaching FC U Craiova and the player, Răzvan Popa, was reportedly marginalised after rejecting Mangia’s advancements.

The period of alleged sexual misconduct happened between 2017 and 2018, and included a physical assault in the dressing room.

“He first asked him about his sexual activity, and then started making direct advances on him. This while he was masturbating in front of my child,” she said. 

Her son eventually came forward with the allegations in March 2019, with the club soon firing Mangia. However, it did not take any further action.

“They later fired Mangia. But I had the feeling that they allowed him to escape,” she added. 

The alleged assault and harassment had a major effect on Popa, who no longer plays football professionally and battled depression.

Maltese football has been rocked by the allegations which have seen three national footballers submit information to the MFA. However, the allegations are not new. 

In 2021, Romanian media also reported that Mangia had made sexual advances on players. Meanwhile, Italian media had reported on “rumours” swirling around Mangia’s conduct all the way back in 2016.

Mangia has been suspended for a further three weeks by the MFA, which is opening up its own internal investigation. 

It is believed that Mangia has left Malta with images surfacing of him leaving the country. He has denied any wrongdoing and has pledged to fight the case.

What do you think of the latest claims?