Ex-Boca Official Serna Defends Sebastián Villa Amid Gender Violence March

Mauricio “Chicho” Serna, a former member of Boca Juniors' Football Council and a club icon, ignited controversy with his comments on Sebastián Villa's legal troubles. Serna stated it was "unjust" to condemn a player for life, asserting that Villa "made a mistake and paid dearly" but adding that "society is sometimes very unfair."

These remarks were made on the same day as a national march against gender violence and in the wake of several high-profile femicides. Serna's statements allude to Villa's judicial history, which includes a 2023 conviction for aggravated minor injuries and threats against his ex-partner, resulting in a two-year suspended prison sentence. Villa was also acquitted in 2025 of sexual abuse charges brought by another ex-partner.

"For me, it's not fair to condemn a player for life. What he did was not right. He made a mistake and paid dearly for his error. Is society going to condemn him to life imprisonment? I don't validate what he did. I repudiate it to the end," Serna told ESPN. He acknowledged witnessing Villa's process while at Boca but reiterated his belief that society can be overly harsh and condemnatory.

Beyond the Villa controversy, Serna also discussed Boca Juniors' current situation. He described the club's elimination from the Copa Libertadores as a "very strong blow," emphasizing the immense pressure to win the tournament for the seventh time. He also deemed the dismissal of coach Claudio Úbeda "logical" given the club's high ambitions and failure to meet objectives. Serna stressed that any new coach must be capable of winning the Copa Sudamericana and the Argentine league, needing to enhance the current squad, promote youth players, and possess sufficient courage and personality.