Barcelona star accused of touching genitals of opposition player | OneFootball

Barcelona Femeni star Maria ‘Mapi’ Leon has been condemned by Espanyol after a clip has emerged that appears show her touching the genitals of Daniela Caracas during their clash on Sunday, in which Barcelona won 2-0.

The incident occurred during a corner on Sunday, when the two players, grappling at the set piece, pause for a moment. Footage appears to show Leon then touch Caracas’ genitals. Around 24 hours later, Espanyol emitted a statement calling Leon’s actions ‘completely unacceptable’. They note that at the time, Caracas was so shocked by the incident, she did not respond, but after the game, became conscious of the seriousness of the incident. They do not specify what action they are pursuing, but say that they do not want the incident to go unnoticed, and their reject any form of violence.

Barcelona then later emitted a statement on behalf of Leon, denying that she touching ‘any intimate area’. Leon explains that she touches Caracas’ leg and says ‘What’s wrong with you?’ Leon again insists that she did not touch Caracas’ genitalia, nor did she have any intention to endanger the intimacy of her colleague. She also goes on to condemn the abuse of Caracas on social media, which has occurred in the aftermath of the incident.

It did not take Espanyol long to hit back at Leon’s statement either. Dolors Ribalta, Director of Women’s Football, appeared on RAC1, and had the following to say.

Image via AFP7 / El Confidencial

“Everyone has seen the images. We believe that it is an unacceptable and inadmissible action. These are images that should appear in sports. I will not opine on what Mapi has said or did not say. I will accompany our player, who is the victim,” quote MD.

“Caracas is affected and has distanced herself from it. If the Competition Committee or Liga F League see that it is punishable and come to sanction it, they can do so or not. We want the best for our player. If she were an Espanyol player, everyone would have killed us. We know the context and the environment.”

Player’s Union FutPro have offered their help and services to both Leon and Caracas in the meantime. At the time of writing, it is not yet clear whether anything further will come of the incident, with no legal action planned by Espanyol or Caracas currently, and with neither the RFEF or Liga F having pronounced on the matter.

Leon is one of the most high-profile Barcelona players, and excluded herself from Spain selection in recent years, due to the treatment of female players by the RFEF.