Carla Baena plays as a goalkeeper for Alhaurín de la Torre CF. SUR

Teenage female goalkeeper subjected to vile taunts during football match in Alhaurín

The opposition team, Unión Deportiva Mortadelo of Malaga, has launched an investigation into the incidents after the father of the 13-year-old girl went public with the claim

Andrea Jiménez

Alhaurín de la Torre

Wednesday, 26 April 2023, 15:34 | Updated 16:10h.

A 13-year-old girl had vile sexist taunts hurled at her from the sidelines during a fifth division children’s football game in Malaga province last Sunday, her father has claimed.

Carla Baena, who plays as a goalkeeper for Alhaurín de la Torre CF and was the only girl in the mixed team, was verbally abused during a match against Unión Deportiva Mortadelo on 23 April her dad, Víctor Baena, said.

According to Carla's father she was taunted with vile phrases which SUR in English is aware of, but has chosen not to report.

The father of two boys and two girls told SUR: "I have been enjoying grassroots football with my children for twelve years and nothing like this has ever happened to us".

"It was very sad to have to see my daughter's face asking me why they were saying these things to her, I don't understand how these things can happen in the middle of 2023.”

Once the game was over, the sexist insults continued in the changing room, according to Baena. "As we approached the exit, one of my daughter's teammates came out very angry and said that the Mortadelo team were insulting Carla".

He then looked for someone from the Mortadelo club to ask for an explanation. "A young man came out of the dressing room with a folder, I think he was the team delegate, and he said to me: 'It doesn't matter what you say because it doesn't appear in the minutes'," he said.

Baena threatened to call the police, to which the opposite team delegate then allegedly asked the team to be quiet: "They are going to find out in all the clubs what you have done and you are going to harm us".

Unión Deportiva Mortadelo later issued a statement condemning the events and said an investigation had been opened: "We condemn these acts and apologise for them to the people affected".

Baena said he had been contacted by the Unión Deportiva Mortadelo for a meeting, and that he was considering a possible complaint against the perpetrators of the insults, the coach and the team's delegate.

"I have identified one of the children, the club is hiding behind the fact that he no longer belongs to the club, but his profile is still published as part of the team,” he said.