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Barcelona mayor apologizes after stealing spotlight from Barça Feminí's Champions League celebration

Jaume Collboni criticized for pulling away jersey from player Alèxia Putellas

Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona holding a Barça jersey with his name during the reception for Barça feminí's third Champions League victory
Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona holding a Barça jersey with his name during the reception for Barça feminí's third Champions League victory / Ajuntament de Barcelona
Catalan News

Catalan News | @catalannews | Barcelona

May 28, 2024 11:09 AM

Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona, has publicly apologized to Barça Feminí captain Alèxia Putellas after being criticized for pulling a jersey from her hands on Sunday evening. 

The football team attended a reception at Barcelona's City Hall on Sunday after winning their third Champion League final

The captain was holding the sleeve of a jersey with Collboni's name, when the mayor pulled it from her hands and turned his back to her, causing outrage on social media. 

The original tweet about the incident has received over 700 comments, ranging from "when males and their egos feel outdone by women, they do things like this" to "turning his back on the real main characters. No class, no education." 

The mayor has since apologized on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that "the spotlight should go to the women who have been making history for a long time. My apologies to Alèxia Putellas." 

Collboni also added that he is "always on the side of equality, feminism and women's sports." 

Barça Femení won against Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday 2-0, winning, for the first time, a UEFA Women's Champions League title against the French team. 

Around 40,000 FC Barcelona supporters traveled to the Basque city, while around 2,000 people watched the game from the Catalan capital's Plaça de Catalunya square, as the city council had installed a large screen to follow the game live. 

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