Barcelona's Mapi Leon denies inappropriately touching rival in ‘private parts'
Barcelona defender Mapi Leon has denied touching an opponent's 'private parts' after a video surfaced of her touching the crotch of an opponent.
The former Spain Women star has been accused of 'violating the privacy' of Espanyol 's Daniela Caracas following a confrontation on Sunday in the Catalan derby.
Espanyol condemned the alleged incident with the club offering Caracas the services of their legal team to pursue action against Leon.
But the Barcelona star has strongly denied the accusation, responding via a statement from her club: '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.'
Earlier, in a separate statement, Espanyol said they wanted to 'express total condemnation at events which took place during the game which we consider unacceptable and should not pass unnoticed.'
The players could be seen arguing in the 15th minute with the game level at 0-0, though Barcelona eventually ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo.
The incident comes during the ongoing trial of former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales after being accused of forcibly kissing Jenni Hermoso following Spain's iconic 2023 Women's World Cup victory in Australia.
Leon has not featured for the Spanish national team since 2022 and she was among 15 players to reject call-ups following a dispute with former coach Jorge Vilda.
'[I have] a way of life and values. I can't go back if the situation hasn't changed,' Leon told RAC1 before the World Cup. 'There have to be changes. I'm not saying that no changes have happened, but I don't see them'.
Caracas sparked controversy in 2023 with remarks against the Republic of Ireland, proclaiming, "let them eat s***" and labelling her rivals "little girls" after a hostile warm-up match was abandoned after just 20 minutes.
The ill-tempered affair was scrapped when Denise O'Sullivan was the target of a strong challenge, with manager at the time Vera Pauw later stating that she "feared for their bodies".
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