A Barcelona women’s player appeared to prod an opponent in her private parts during a derby match on Sunday – and now faces legal threats.
Barca’s Mapi Leon was waiting for a corner to come in when she touched Espanyol’s Daniel Caracas in a sensitive area.
Espanyol have since lashed out in a furious statement condemning the ‘unacceptable’ action and urging the authorities to punish Mapi Leon.
They have also extended the threat of legal action against the former Spanish interntional if Caracas wishes to proceed with that.
Spanish outlet ES Diario suggested that Leon asked ‘do you have a d***?’, though there has never been any suggestion of Caracas being transgender.
Leon remained on the field for all 90 minutes of Barcelona’s 2-0 win at their rivals’ ground while Caracas was taken off after 82 minutes on a yellow card.
Barcelona women’s star Mapi Leon (right) appeared to touch Espanyol’s Daniela Caracas in a sensitive area
Espanyol have floated the possibility of legal action against the 54-time Spain international
Leon is a 54-time Spain international and has won the Spanish top division six times.
It marks another high-profile episode involving the Colombian star. In 2023, she copped flak for claiming Ireland’s players could ‘eat s***’ after their World Cup warm-up friendly was abandoned after 20 minutes due to rough play.
‘They are just girls, one little foul and they started complaining. They were having a chat among themselves to continue or not so we weren’t going to hang around waiting for them. Honestly, let them eat s***,’ said Caracas.
Midfielder Denise O’Sullivan ended up in hospital with a shin injury while Ireland boss Vera Pauw said Colombia’s behaviour was ‘outside the rules of the game’.
Responding to the incident between Leon and Caracas at the weekend, Espanyol wrote: ‘We want to express our total discontent and condemnation of the events that took place last Sunday, during the derby played at CE Dani Jarque between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona.
‘This is an action that we consider unacceptable and that should not go unnoticed.
‘During a play during the match, FC Barcelona player María Pilar Leon, in the middle of a scuffle with our player, Daniela Caracas, made a gesture that violated our player’s privacy.
‘Although Caracas was unable to react at the time due to the impact caused by the situation, later, when she came to terms with what had happened, she became aware of the seriousness of the gesture, but chose not to react angrily to avoid a disciplinary sanction and harm to the team.
‘In addition to what happened on the pitch, there is also the regrettable reaction on social media, where our player has been the target of insults from hundreds of profiles. We are concerned that, instead of focusing on the act itself, part of the media attention has been diverted to other issues unrelated to the seriousness of the action.
‘At RCD Espanyol we defend our player and condemn any act that threatens the integrity of female footballers on the pitch.
‘We firmly believe in respect and sportsmanship as fundamental values of football and we hope that these types of situations are treated with the seriousness they deserve. In addition, we have made the Club’s legal services available to our player in case she wishes to take legal action.
‘Furthermore, as RCD Espanyol has done on previous occasions, we wish to express our rejection of any form of violence, whether physical or verbal, in the world of football.
‘Sport must be a space for respect and coexistence, and we condemn any attitude that encourages hatred or aggression on and off the pitch.’
