Spanish football club Espanyol has called for action against Barcelona's Mapi León after she was accused of inappropriately touching opponent Daniela Caracas during a Liga F match. The incident occurred 15 minutes after kick-off in Sunday's Catalan derby. Video footage from the broadcast of the match seemingly shows Spanish international León briefly touching Caracas in the crotch area while saying something to her as they lined up inside the penalty area for a set-piece. Espanyol stated its "total discontent and condemnation" of León's actions, adding it considered the incident to be a "violation of Caracas's intimacy". The club added it would back Colombian Caracas should she wish to take legal action. León issued a statement denying any wrongdoing, saying that "under no circumstances would I ever think of touching the private parts of any of my female colleagues". She called the incident "a simple game move that does not deserve the publicity or the importance it is gaining". "This is an action that we consider unacceptable and should not go unnoticed," Espanyol said in a statement. "During a play, FC Barcelona player Maria Pilar León, in the middle of a clash with our player, Daniela Caracas, made a gesture that violated the intimacy of our player. "Caracas, at the time, was unable to react due to the impact of the situation. "Later, when she assimilated what happened, she became aware of the seriousness of the gesture, but chose not to react angrily to avoid a disciplinary sanction that would harm the team." Espanyol said it condemned any act that threatened the integrity of the players on the pitch. "We firmly believe in respect and sportsmanship as fundamental values in football and we hope that this type of situation will be treated with the seriousness it deserves," the statement read. "In addition, we have made the club's legal services available to our player should she wish to take legal action." The match was goalless at the time of the incident, with Barcelona later sealing a 2-0 win.