Espanyol fire back after Barcelona’s Mapi León claim saying ‘footage is crystal clear’ even as Barcelona player denies the allegations.
Espanyol has maintained that the “footage is crystal clear” and rejected Barcelona defender Mapi León’s allegations that she touched opponent Daniela Caracas inappropriately in the crotch area during Sunday’s city derby.
The Spanish Liga F has not yet released a comment, so Caracas’ preferences will determine the club’s next course of action, including whether to pursue legal action. León was added to Barcelona’s roster for Wednesday night’s Copa del Reina match.
León “made a gesture with her hand that violated the intimacy of our player,” according to a statement issued by Espanyol denouncing a “unacceptable” occurrence. The Barcelona player responded by saying that there was “no contact with her private parts, and certainly no intention” late on Monday night.
“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.”
Additionally, Ribalta condemned the taunts directed at Caracas. She informed Cadena Ser, “Our player has had a tough day.” She went on to say that Caracas was “in shock” and that the team would wait for her to decide what she wanted to do while she tried to process 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.’”