Mapi León accused of gross ‘intimacy violation’ charge by Espanyol after an alleged provocative gesture from the former.
Mapi León accused of ‘violating intimacy’ of opponent even though she denies touching rival’s ‘private parts’.
During Sunday’s Liga F match between the two teams, Espanyol has voiced their “complete discontent and condemnation” of a “unacceptable” incident in which Barcelona defender Mapi León seemed to gesture towards their midfielder Daniela Caracas’ crotch area.
The event happened during the first half of the derby when Caracas was marking León before a set piece was taken, and Espanyol stated that it “should not be overlooked.” Since then, León has denied ever touched Caracas’s crotch or intending to.
“During the match, FC Barcelona player María Pilar León, while jostling with Daniela Caracas, made a gesture with her hand that violated the intimacy of our player,” Espanyol said on Monday in a statement.
“Although Caracas was unable to react at the time due to the impact of the situation, later, after assimilating what had happened, she became aware of the seriousness of the gesture, but chose not to react angrily in order to avoid a disciplinary sanction that would harm the team.”
In a statement released via Barcelona’s website later on Monday, León, 29, said: “At no time did I, nor was it my intention, infringe upon the intimacy of my fellow professional Daniela Caracas.
“As the images show, it was part of a playing action in which she deliberately touches me and I touch her leg saying in reaction to the clash: “what’s up with you”. There is NO contact with her private parts, and certainly no intention. I insist, it was just part of the game that does not warrant the importance that has been attached to it.
“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.”
Since the incident Caracas, 27, has been subject to abuse on social media from “hundreds of profiles”, according to Espanyol, who expressed their concern that media attention of the incident had been “diverted to other issues unrelated to the seriousness of the action”. The statement continued: “We would like to express our rejection of any form of violence, whether physical or verbal, in the world of football.”
León said: “I condemn the harassment that Daniela appears to have been suffering on social networks, which has nothing to do with me, and I offer her my most sincere support.”