FA pulls Yung Filly's cooking show with England footballers amid rape charges

The Football Association has pulled an online cookery series featuring Yung Filly following his arrest on suspicion of rape and sexual assault.

The 29-year-old rapper and YouTuber, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was arrested in Brisbane and extradited to Perth on Wednesday.

The series, Freestyle Cooking with the FA, was announced the same day as part of the FA's Greater Game campaign, in partnership with M&S Food, to encourage healthy eating among children aged 12 to 16.

England footballers Jarrod Bowen, Bukayo Saka, and Ezri Konsa were scheduled to appear in the series on the FA's social media platforms as well as on Filly’s Instagram and TikTok channels.

However the English football governing body swiftly responded to news of his arrest by pulling the series and all related promotional materials.

Meanwhile, The Independent states that Warner Records has put any planned music releases on hold pending the outcome of the case, despite having already released tracks like Grey through the label.

Yung Filly took part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer (Mark Bourdillon/Channel 4/PA) (PA Media)
Yung Filly took part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer (Mark Bourdillon/Channel 4/PA) (PA Media)

The Standard has contacted the FA and Warner Records for comment.

The reports comes after Filly was granted bail after appearing in an Australian court on charges of rape and assault.

The internet personality was taken into custody in Brisbane on Tuesday and extradited to Perth where the alleged incident occurred.

The social media star appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday where the charges were read but no pleas were entered, the PA news agency understands.

Barrientos faces four counts of sexual penetration without consent and three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.

He has also been charged with another count of impeding a person’s normal breathing or circulation by applying pressure on, or to, their neck.

The online star is said to have sexually assaulted a woman aged in her 20s in his hotel room after he performed at a venue in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.

The attack is alleged to have taken place on Saturday September 28.

During his court hearing, Barrientos was granted bail with strict conditions and a personal undertaking of 100,000 Australian dollars (£52,000), alongside a surety of 100,000 Australian dollars (£52,000), the PA news agency understands.

Filly and Chunkz after winning Best Media Personality at the Mobo Awards in 2021 (PA Archive)
Filly and Chunkz after winning Best Media Personality at the Mobo Awards in 2021 (PA Archive)

The case has next been listed in Perth Magistrates Court on December 19 at 9.30am for a committal mention.

In a press release, the Government of Western Australia said the “investigation is ongoing and Sex Assault Squad detectives urge anyone with information relating to this matter, or any similar incidents” to come forward.

Representatives for Barrientos were previously contacted for comment.

Barrientos has appeared on several BBC shows and is known for collaborating with the YouTube collective Beta Squad.

The rapper, who was on tour in Australia, has appeared for England on Soccer Aid and The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) on Channel 4.

Among his other shows, he hosted BBC series Hot Property and Munya And Filly Get Chilly with comedian Munya Chawawa, a spin-off show of Freeze The Fear With Wim Hof.

In 2021, he won best media personality at the Mobo Awards alongside fellow online personality Chunkz, real name Amin Mohamed.