Women’s football team claims victims of ‘transphobic violence’ after opposing team’s local council claims they fielded ‘two bearded men who think they are women’

Catalan football is in turmoil after two transgender players helped their team win a women’s game, sparking a backlash from a city councilor and a subsequent row.

But the situation is quite unusual – it involves two biological women trying to transition into men, but who, according to Marca, are still playing in a women’s league.

Alex Alcaide Llanos and Nil Alcon Labella play for CE Europa B in a Catalan women’s league and are still registered as women during the medical transition and banned from men’s football.

After they started the 3-1 win over Terrassa and Alex scored, Alicia Tomas, a local councilor for the right-wing Vox party, claimed they were “two men with beards who think they are women”. According to Beteve, a media outlet that once interviewed the player, Alex has been taking hormones for over five years now.

Europe has since pushed back, claiming its players were victims of “transphobic violence” and released a statement opposing “aggression and fascism.”

A debate was sparked in Spain after two female players took part in a women’s game – despite being in transition to becoming men

Alex Alcaide Llanos had been taking hormones for five years and scored a goal in the game

Right-wing local councilor Alicia Tomas claimed Europe was “exercising violence against women”

“As long as my ID still has the F for female on it, I’ll play in the category that corresponds to me,” Alex said.

The striker added: “I started changing my body early, it hasn’t changed that much, I’ve always had that male body and hormones help me build muscle faster, not to build more muscle.” If I feel superior, with advantages, I will stop, I will step aside.”

Some feel that this moment has already arrived. A Terrassa fan tweeted from the stands: “There are two players in Europa Femenino B who are unstoppable because of their speed and power.”

“It will be difficult to find players with more power and speed throughout the women’s preferred category.”

In 2022, controversy arose when Europe won 23-0 with Alex in the game, despite the striker only scoring two goals. Europe had a strong start to the season but is not dominating the league with the two players and is in fifth place with 11 points after five games.

After the game, Councilor Alicia Tomas tweeted: “It is as unfair for men who identify as women to take part in a women’s competition as it is for women who undergo male hormone therapy.”

“They want to ban us from public spaces, from sports and from all areas.”

“At VOX we will defend women and the fight that our ancestors waged for decades against perverse gender ideology.”

Nil Alcon Labella was also there in the 3-1 win in a women’s league around Barcelona

Councilman Tomas struck first, writing that “there were two bearded men who now consider themselves women” – even though their transition was in the opposite direction

Europe hit back, writing: “We say no to transphobic and LGBTIphobic violence and to any kind of violence.”

Europa then hit back, writing: “In light of the violence against two players from the women’s reserve team, we at Club Esportiu Europa say no to transphobic and LGBTIphobic violence, as well as any kind of violence.”

“Over the course of its centuries-long history, our club has distinguished itself through its values ​​of sportsmanship, fair play and compliance with current sporting regulations.” It also works and fights for the right of all people to a life free from any form of violence. Lives that deserve to be lived.

“Fighting hate crimes and transphobic violence is a collective duty that challenges all of society.” That is why we reaffirm and say loudly that we will stand firm. Against aggression and fascism we say: “Don’t take a step back.”

On the Europa website, the club displays the colors of the rainbow flag next to a field that reads: “We say no to: fascism, machismo (defined as ‘strong or aggressive male pride’), homophobia, racism.”

The argument continued, and Tomas defended himself: “You are the ones who inflict violence on women who have to compete on unequal conditions with others who have a significant physical advantage due to their hormonal changes.”

“We will not allow our athletes to be trampled under the pretense of protecting a group.” Competitiveness should be based on a level playing field and that is not the case.”

This situation is nothing new for Europe. Two years ago, Alex gave a candid interview about bullying at school and receiving a lot of hateful messages.

“It was clear from a young age that I wanted to be a boy and be called Alex,” the 2022 player told Beteve.

Tomas believes that Europe is undermining women’s competitiveness and security

“I felt very strange and when I was able to give it a name it was liberating. ‘I started to be happy and could live my life.’

Alex is still registered as a woman, only the name on an official ID has been changed. All Spanish citizens aged 14 and over must have the Documento Nacional de Identidad.

Questions have been asked as to why Alex is still playing in the B team of a women’s club.

The team’s coordinator, Nany Haces, told El Debate in 2022: “There is a big gap between our first team and our second team (the youth team) and every year we lose 10 players that we cannot accommodate in the first team can.”

“It was necessary to create a strong reserve team to be able to compete and move up in a category in a few years.

“Alex is developing as a player, he has obvious technical deficiencies, he’s a fast player, but we have four or five others like him. “He’s not the fastest.”