Espanyol have condemned Barcelona‘s Mapi León for touching Daniela Caracas in the crotch area during Sunday’s Catalan derby in Liga F.
León and Caracas clashed in the 15th minute of the game as they lined up at a set piece, with the Barça centre-back saying something to her opponent while briefly touching her inappropriately.
“Espanyol wish to express total condemnation at events which took place during the game which we consider unacceptable and should not pass unnoticed,” a statement from the club said on Monday.
“During the match, Barça player León, in a struggle with our player, Caracas, made a gesture which violated the privacy of said player.
“At the time, Caracas did not react because of the impact caused by the situation. Later, after assimilating what happened, she became aware of the seriousness of the gesture, but chose not to react angrily to avoid a disciplinary sanction and harming the team.”
Espanyol added that the incident has led to Caracas receiving insults on social media and that they are “concerned that, instead of focusing on the act itself, the media attention has been diverted to other issues unrelated to the seriousness of the action.”
The club also say they have offered Caracas the club’s legal team should she wish to take any action against León.
ESPN reached out to the Spanish Football Federation for comment but have yet to receive a response. Liga F said any disciplinary action corresponds completely to the federation.
The game was goalless at the time of the clash, with league leaders Barça going on to win 2-0 through late goals from Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo.
