FC Barcelona women’s player María Pilar (‘Mapi’) León has denied touching an opponent’s genital area in a Spanish women’s league game after the alleged action was condemned by Espanyol as ‘unacceptable’.
León said in a statement released by Barcelona on Monday that the action never happened.
‘I touched her leg,’ León said. ‘There is no touching of an intimate area, much less any intention to do so. I insist, it’s a simple moment of the game that doesn’t deserve the repercussion or importance that this is receiving.’
Barça Femení won the hard-fought Catalan derby 0-2, but the game has made far more headlines for the incident involving the two players.
Video from Sunday’s match (see in Tweet link below) shows León and Daniela Caracas bumping each other to get into position away from the ball, then León stops and briefly touches Caracas’ shorts with her right hand. León apparently also said something to Caracas before they continue pushing each other again to gain position.
Many on social media speculated that León, after touching Caracas, said, ‘Tienes picha?’, which translates, in vulgar colloquial language, to: ‘Do you have a penis?’
In her statement, León said she simply told Caracas, ‘What’s wrong with you?’
‘In no circumstance would it occur to me to touch the private parts of any of my colleagues, it goes against my principles and I would never do it,’ she said.
Espanyol said León’s actions ‘violated the privacy’ of its defender.
‘Espanyol defends the player and condemns any act that threatens the integrity of women players on the field,’ the club said. ‘We firmly believe that respect and sportsmanship are fundamental values of football and we hope that these situations are treated with the seriousness that they deserve.’
Espanyol said it made the club’s legal services available to Caracas ‘in case she wishes to take legal action’.
It said Caracas did not want to immediately react to what León did to avoid punishment to herself and the club.
Espanyol also condemned the ‘lamentable reaction’ by hundreds of people who insulted Caracas on social media.
León also addressed that in her statement.
‘I condemn the harassment that Daniela is apparently suffering on social media, which has nothing to do with me, and I show her my most sincere support,’ León said.
La jugadora del Barça, Mapi León, tocó sin consentimiento los genitales de la futbolista del Espanyol, Daniela Caracas, durante el derbi femenino: «¿Tienes picha?», le preguntó.
Algunos usuarios en redes sociales han calificado la acción como una agresión sexual, además de… pic.twitter.com/IlidJD1FOH
— Vloonk (@vloonk) February 10, 2025
COMUNICADO OFICIAL#RCDE
— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) February 10, 2025
DECLARACIÓ DE LA NOSTRA
JUGADORA MARÍA PILAR LEÓN pic.twitter.com/IuVhdJNfB5— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) February 10, 2025
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