Catalan football is in turmoil after two transgender players helped their team win a women’s match, sparking a backlash from a councilor and a subsequent row.
But the situation is quite distinctive: These are two biological women who are trying to transition into manhood and who are still playing in a women’s league, according to Marca.
Alex Alcaide Llanos and Nil Alcon Labella play for CE Europa B in a Catalan women’s league and are still registered as women while they undergo medical transitions and are banned from men’s football.
After they started the 3-1 win against Terrassa, with Alex scoring, a councilor from the right-wing Vox party, Alicia Tomas, claimed they were ‘two men with beards who consider themselves women’. Alex has been taking hormones for more than five years now Betevean outlet that once interviewed the player.
Europe has since hit back, claiming their players are victims of ‘transphobic violence’ and issuing a statement opposing ‘aggression and fascism’.
The debate has been sparked in Spain after two female-born players played in a women’s match despite transitioning to manhood
Alex Alcaide Llanos has been taking hormones for five years and scored in the match
Local right-wing councilor Alicia Tomas claimed Europe ‘violates women’
“As long as my identity card still has the F for woman, I will play in the category that suits me,” Alex has said.
The striker added: ‘I started transitioning my body early, not much has changed, I’ve always had a male body and hormones help me build muscle earlier, not build more muscle. The moment I feel superior, with advantages, I stop, I step aside.’
Some feel like that moment has already arrived. A Terrassa fan tweeted from the stands: ‘There are two players in the Europa Femenino B who are unstoppable because of their speed and strength.
‘It will be difficult to find players with more power and speed in the entire women’s preference category.’
The controversy arose in 2022 when Europe won 23-0 with Alex playing, although the striker only scored twice. Europe has started the season strongly, but is not dominating the competition with the two players. They are in fifth place with eleven points after five games.
After the match, council member Alicia Tomas tweeted: “It is as unfair for men who consider themselves women to compete in a women’s competition as it is for women on male hormone therapy.
‘They want to wipe us out of the public space, from sports and from all areas.
‘At VOX we will defend women and the struggle that our ancestors have been waging for decades against perverse gender ideology.’
Nil Alcon Labella also participated in the 3-1 victory in a women’s competition around Barcelona
Councilor Tomas initially responded, writing that “there were two bearded men who now consider themselves women” – despite their transition going in the opposite direction
Europe hit back, writing: ‘We say no to transphobic and LGBT-phobic violence and to all forms of violence’
Europa then hit back, writing: “In light of the violence against two of the women’s reserve team players, we at Club Esportiu Europa say no to transphobic and LGBTIphobic violence and to any form of violence.”
‘Throughout its centuries-long history, our club has distinguished itself through its values of sportsmanship, fair play and compliance with current sporting rules. It also works and fights for the right of all people to live a life free from all forms of violence. Lives that deserve to be lived.
‘Fighting hate crimes and transphobic violence is a collective duty that challenges the entire society. We therefore repeat and say loudly that we remain steadfast. We say to aggression and fascism: no step back.’
On Europe’s website, the club displays rainbow flag colors next to a box that reads: “We say no (to): fascism, machismo (defined as ‘strong or aggressive male pride’), homophobia, racism.”
The argument continued and Tomas snapped back: ‘You are the ones who violate women, who have to compete on unequal terms with others who, because of their hormonal changes, have a significant physical advantage.
“We will not allow our athletes to be trampled under the pretext 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 being bullied at school and receiving a slew of hateful messages.
“It was clear from an early age that I wanted to be a boy and that I wanted to be called Alex,” the player said. Beteve in 2022.
Tomas believes that Europe undermines women’s competitiveness and security
‘I felt very strange and when I could give him a name it was liberating. I started to be happy and able to live my life.’
Alex is still registered as a woman, only the name on an official identity card has changed. All Spanish citizens aged 14 or over must have the Documento Nacional de Identidad.
Questions have been asked why Alex is still playing in the B team of a women’s club.
As the team coordinator Nany Haces said The debate in 2022: ‘There is a huge gap between our first team and our second team (the youth team) and every year we lose ten players who we cannot accommodate in the first team.
‘It was necessary to establish a strong reserve team in order to compete and ultimately move up a category within a few years.
“Alex is developing as a player, he has clear technical deficiencies, he is a fast player, but we still have four or five like him. He’s not the fastest.’