"Fake Manager" Valido Faces 86 Years for 61 Youth Sex Abuse Charges

The Instagram posts of Kenneth Valido, a sports agent known as K.V.V., paint a picture starkly different from the reality of his alleged crimes. Valido, dubbed the "monster from the Fake Manager case," is now facing an 86-year prison sentence. He stands accused of 61 counts of sexual abuse, stemming from his role as a fraudulent representative in youth and regional football across Spain.

On June 9, 2024, Valido posted on his social network, reflecting on the league season. He wrote about the dedication involved in football, the importance of a representative, and the true meaning of "team and family." He concluded, "What matters at the end of the day are not the trophies, nor the medals, nor the titles, but the mark we leave on hearts."

This was the voice of Kenneth Valido, who is now held at the Las Palmas II Juan Grande Penitentiary Center. He was arrested four weeks prior in Fuerteventura. The 25-year-old from Gran Canaria, also a referee, is reportedly sharing a cell under a Suicide Prevention Protocol, a measure often taken for alleged sexual predators. His alleged victims include players from prominent youth teams like Betis and Sevilla CF.

Even after the first complaint against him, on December 31, Valido continued to boast about the extensive reach of his representation project, which has now been exposed as a network of depravity.

Around 2020, Valido launched Kv.representaciones. In a lengthy Instagram post, he spoke of the agency's growth, its professionalism, and his pride in his players. He claimed, "Our capabilities place us where, by right, we should be, and our work takes us to the port we deserve alongside our players." He emphasized the agency's "greatness" and the "excellent work" of its team.

He also shared figures about his clients, highlighting the agency's "collective work" and "the enormous value of the group." He stated that in the past year, Kv.representaciones had seven players in mainland Spain and 75 across the Canary Islands, listing specific locations. He claimed to have "consolidated our desire to grow by involving players, fathers, mothers, and families."

Valido had direct contact with over a hundred young people, organizing several trips to Barcelona and Madrid for youth tournaments in 2024. He was initially arrested for abuse and later violated a restraining order. Magistrate Raquel Lora of the Court of First Instance of San Bartolomé de Tirajana ordered his provisional imprisonment. He faces charges for five alleged sexual assaults, corruption, and child grooming. Before this, in 2021, he had spent six months as a collaborator with UD Las Palmas' D Team, having previously been a referee for Victoria.

Within the football community, Kenneth's deceptive practices were already known. A FIFA agent, who works with players in UD and Tercera RFEF, commented, "He promised them they would play for UD, Barça, or Madrid... He was a fraud, it was obvious; but in this world of grassroots football, there are many naive people."

On Instagram, Valido frequently displayed the crests of teams where his clients supposedly played, from Sevilla to Universitario. He posted about his agency's commitment to "grow, advance, evolve, modernize structures to go further, higher, be stronger." He also claimed to "accept the rules of the game" and follow them "from beginning to end." On January 28 of this year, he announced the agency's "return" with "new ideas, new collaborators, new sponsors, and new departments."

He cultivated what he called a "bond of trust" with young players, suggesting that "life outside [the] football field is also important for creating special moments." This rhetoric is now seen as part of his alleged grooming tactics. The charges against him involve the alleged sexual abuse and grooming of 61 minors, with incidents occurring in 2023 and 2024. The magistrate has cited "indications of the commission of acts," and video evidence has reportedly been found on his mobile phone. The ongoing investigation includes allegations of mutual masturbation and anal penetration.

Valido's alleged victims were involved in various levels of youth football, including the Women's Preferente league, Youth Futsal teams like Basilea and Atlético Rocío La Laguna-Tenerife, and numerous clubs across the Canary Islands and mainland Spain, such as Siete Palmas, Telde, El Hierro, Frontera, San Fernando cadets, Herbania, Laguna, and even youth divisions of top clubs like Atlético de Madrid, Sevilla, and Betis. His actions have cast a shadow over these "talent nurseries."