Espanyol have insisted that the “footage is crystal clear” and dismissed the claims of the Barcelona defender Mapi León after she denied inappropriately touching opponent Daniela Caracas in the crotch area during the city derby on Sunday.
The club’s next steps, including any decision over whether to take legal action, will be guided by the wishes of Caracas, with the Spanish Liga F yet to make any public statement. León was included in Barcelona’s squad to play the Copa del Reina on Wednesday night.
Espanyol had released a statement condemning an “unacceptable” incident in which they alleged that León “made a gesture with her hand that violated the intimacy of our player”. In response, the Barcelona player said late on Monday night there was “no contact with her private parts, and certainly no intention”.
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“The idea of touching the private parts of a colleague would never enter my head, it goes against my principles and I would never do such a thing,” said León.
But the head of Espanyol’s women’s team, Dolors Ribalta, reiterated that Caracas had been touched in an intimate area and told Spanish radio: “You have all seen the footage. There is none so blind as those who do not see.”
Ribalta also denounced the insults that Caracas had received. “Our player has had a difficult day,” she told Cadena Ser. She added that Caracas was “in shock” and that the club would wait for the player to decide on any action she would want to take as she sought to come to terms with the situation.
“We want to defend our player, say that what happened is lamentable and continue from there [along the course] that our player decides, and [taking] whatever action she wants to take,” Ribalta said. “We want to protect her, look after her, and [allow her] to decide what she considers best. We’re doing that at a legal and psychological level. We will see what the next step is day by day.”
Footage of the incident also shows León saying something to Caracas. León’s statement said: “As the images show, it was part of the play in which she deliberately touches me and I touch her leg saying in reaction to the clash: ‘what’s up with you’.”
The Liga F, Barcelona and Espanyol have all asked for further footage of the incident. The league has contacted the parties involved but not made any statement publicly. The Spanish FA, the RFEF, will not unilaterally investigate and sanction the player and it would not be entirely their jurisdiction. They also have not made any statement.
A statement from the Spanish player’s union, the AFE, condemned “any inadequate conduct in football” but did not name either player or their clubs. In a statement, FIFPro, by contrast, cited the incident directly and said that it has contacted all parties in an attempt to “clarify” events.
Espanyol have not been contacted by Barcelona or León.
