The Administrative Sports Tribunal (TAD) has made a decision regarding the controversial episode involving Mapi León during the classic between Espanyol and Barça. After analyzing the facts, the body has confirmed a two-match suspension for the blaugrana footballer, a suspension that has already been served.
TAD considers that León's action can't be classified as accidental contact within the game. According to the document accessed by Mundo Deportivo, "the appellant footballer touches her opponent in a clearly intentional gesture, with play stopped, just before the corner kick." TAD considers that "this deliberate physical contact is far removed from the standards of civility, correctness, or good practices in sports."
Action details
The incident took place last February 9, now seven months ago. During the classic, it was possible to see how Mapi León made a gesture toward Daniela Caracas that caused great controversy. The Espanyol footballer did not react at the time due to the impact, but later realized the seriousness of what had happened.
The blanquiazul club quickly issued a statement expressing its "total discontent and condemnation" of what had happened. In it, they stated that the action "violates the privacy of our footballer" and that it was an unacceptable event that should not go unnoticed.
Mapi León's version
The Barça footballer denied the facts from the very beginning. In a statement, she asserted that "at no time did I violate, nor did I intend to violate, the privacy of my fellow professional Daniela Caracas."
According to Mapi, the images show "an incident in which she bumps into me and I touch her leg, saying: 'What's wrong with you?'" The footballer insists that there was no contact with intimate areas nor any intention to do so.
"It would never cross my mind to touch the intimate parts of any of my teammates. It goes against my principles and I will never do it," she stated.
Reactions and consequences
RFEF decided to act ex officio and sanctioned Mapi León with a two-match suspension, a sanction that has been confirmed by TAD. This resolution puts an end to months of speculation and media debate about the episode.
The case has sparked a broader debate about the limits of physical contact in women's soccer and how situations of this kind should be managed. The confirmation of the sanction seeks to make it clear that certain gestures can't be considered normal within the game and that there are standards of conduct that all footballers must respect.