"Obviously, I am not willing to keep a minute's silence for an abuser and not for the victims."

It is the explanation of

Paula Dapena

, a Galician soccer player, to the feminist gesture that this weekend has made her the focus of admiration and criticism in equal measure.

He refused to observe a minute's silence for Diego Armando Maradona due to his history of abuse and sat on the grass with his back turned.

The image, published by the PontevedraViva newspaper, has gone viral.

Paula Dapena, 24-year-old from Pontevedra, is a player for Viajes Interrías FF and on Saturday she played a friendly match at the Abegondo Sports City in A Coruña with Deportivo Abanca of the Iberdrola League.

When he found out that there was an official statement from the Royal Spanish Football Federation urging a minute of silence in memory of Maradona, he flatly refused.

The rest of the players jumped onto the field and responded to the initiative, standing up and in silence, but she, also in silence, sat down in protest and explained it by ensuring that

she refused to "keep that minute of silence for a rapist, pedophile, whore and abuser "

, alluding to the violent history of the Argentine player who died this week.

Paula explains her disagreement with paying tribute to a footballer with that history and more for the symbolism that his death coincided on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, without similar gestures being adopted in memory of the victims of this social scourge.

"For the victims, there was not a minute silence," he

recalled.

Paula's gesture has nothing to do with Maradona's sporting profile, who she admits was an athlete "with spectacular soccer qualities and skills", but rather with a personal life that she believes cannot be separated from her professional career.

"To be a player, you have to be first person and have values ​​beyond skills."

"You cannot forgive him for all the atrocities he committed" off the field

, explains this player, due to the fact that he has scored goals or won a World Cup.

Remembering that history, for her, is coherent and means "having two fingers up and a little common sense", she adds.

This young woman from Pontevedra, who has been supporting the feminist struggle for years, assures that no one else followed her in her protest gesture, but they did support her.

Thus, the coach of the other team asked him his reasons at halftime and, when he explained them, he expressed his support and congratulations.

Paula's gesture has earned her the support of renowned feminists and, to a lesser extent, the criticism of many soccer fans and has been echoed by the same media in Portugal, Italy or Bolivia.

The image has generated a multitude of reactions on social networks.

Many in favor ...

And many against:

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

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