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A women’s soccer club in Spain has come under fire from a local politician after fielding two “bearded guys” during a game on the weekend.
The uproar over the transgender players exploded when the Club Esportiu Europa team fielded two players who are transitioning from female to male, in a Catalan women’s league match against Terrassa FC over the weekend, Marca reported.
Alex Alcaide Llanos and Nil Alcon Labella, who were seen sporting clearly visible facial hair, are currently banned from playing in the men’s league because they have yet to complete their medical transitions.
According to reports, Llanos has been undergoing hormone treatment for at least five years while it wasn’t immediately clear when Labella started transitioning.
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After the game, which Europa won 3-1 and included a goal by Llanos, a local lawmaker lashed out on social media platform X.
“Our girls from the @TerrassaFC, they lost against Europa because among their rivals there were two bearded guys who now consider themselves women,” Alicia Tomas, a local councilor said in a translated post on X.
“Decades of struggle to have our place in sport, only for the perverse gender ideology to want to erase our presence. We are governed by sick people.”
The club quickly defended its players and the decision to play them while blaming trans hate for the outrage.
“In light of the violence perpetrated against two of the players from the women’s reserve team, we at Club Esportiu Europa say no to transphobic and LGBTIphobic violence and to any type of violence,” the club said in a statement.
“Throughout its century-long history, our club has stood out for its values of sportsmanship, fair play and compliance with current sporting regulations. It also works and fights for the right of all people to live lives free from all forms of violence. Lives that deserve to be lived.”
The club doubled-down on its stance in a time when the participation of transgender athletes has been a hot-button issue in sports.
“Combating hate crimes and transphobic violence is a collective duty that challenges all of society,” the club said. “We therefore reiterate and say loudly that we remain firm. Against aggression and fascism, we say ‘not one step back.’”
Llanos, who goes by male pronouns, addressed his transition in a 2022 interview with Spanish TV outlet Beteve. He said that he had to play in whatever league his gender was registered for.
“As long as my ID card still has the F for female, I’m playing in the category that corresponds to me,” Llanos said at the time.
“I started the transition of my body early, it hasn’t changed that much, I’ve always had this male body and hormones help me to build muscle sooner, not to build more muscle. The moment I feel superior, with advantages, I’ll quit, I’ll step aside.”