![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-300x200.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
Real Madrid authorities are set file a series of lawsuits against La Liga over a deal that will allow a private equity company to acquire a 10% share of future La Liga television rights.
The club has put plans in motion to sue La Liga president Javier Tebas and CVC Capital Partners.
La Liga said clubs could vote on the 2.7bn euro (£2.3bn) deal on 12 August.
The Spanish FA (RFEF) are opposed to the proposed investment, suggesting that it “increases inequality”.
However La Liga said Real Madrid were using “coercive and threatening” methods to stop clubs having their say on the deal.
The league says the deal will strengthen its clubs and give them funds to spend on new infrastructure as well as increasing how much they could spend on players’ salaries.
The RFEF suggested it could affect the future of the league, making the format for the development of professional football in Spain “impossible”.
Tebas tweeted on Tuesday that clubs “have had to put up with threats for years” from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
He has since tweeted to criticise the RFEF’s opposition to the deal – suggesting that they have not studied the details properly and were quick to condemn La Liga, despite remaining silent over the proposed European Super League.
CVC Capital Partners said “the legal action announcement is totally disproportionate and manifestly unfounded”, adding that it reserved the right to take any available legal action to defend itself.
Barcelona have also voiced opposition to the deal, with the club’s president Joan Laporta saying it was like “mortgaging the club’s rights over the next half-century”.
