A professional women’s soccer club in Spain is receiving backlash after two “bearded guys” played for their team.
Club Esportiu Europa, based out of Barcelona, took the field over the weekend with two players, Alex Alcaide Llanos and Nil Alcon Labella, who are transitioning from female to male.
The New York Post notes that Llanos and Labella are not yet permitted to play for men’s teams, as they have not completed their medical transitions.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Soccer ball on the field during the match between Sao Paulo and Atletico MG at Morumbi Stadium on May 11, 2016, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images)
Llanos, who scored a goal, has been undergoing hormone treatment for five years; it’s not clear when Labella began treatment. Both players had visible facial hair.
“Our girls from @TerrassaFC have lost against Europa because among their rivals there were two bearded guys who now consider themselves women,” local counselor Alicia Thomas wrote in a translated post on X. “Decades of struggle to have our place in sport, and now the perverse gender ideology wants to erase our presence. We are governed by sick people.”
The team responded to Thomas, quite literally, with a statement of their own by quoting Thomas’ post.
“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 wrote, via translation.
The team with the two controversial players won, 3-1. (Getty Images)
DANICA PATRICK SLAMS TRANS ATHLETES COMPETING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: ‘IT’S COMPLETELY WRONG’
“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.”
“Combating hate crimes and transphobic violence is a collective duty that challenges all of society. We therefore reiterate and say loudly that we remain firm. Against aggression and fascism, we say ‘not one step back.’”
In an interview in 2022, Llanos, who uses male pronouns, said, “As long as my ID card still has the F for female, I’m playing in the category that corresponds to me.”
A local counselor said the team fielded two “bearded guys.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“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,” Llanos added at the time.
Club Esportiu Europa won the match, 3-1.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
