More and more women are stepping forward and sharing their experiences of past sexually inappropriate situations. Hope Solo recently did so as well as she has accused ex-FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, of sexually assaulting her in 2013.
Solo, a former goalkeeper on the US Women’s National Soccer Team, told media outlet “Expresso” that Blatter grabbed her rear at an awards ceremony.
Solo says she and Blatter were presenting an award at the Ballon D’or award ceremony in Jan. 2013 (the award went to Abby Wambach). Solo claims Blatter grabbed her behind then. She also told Expresso why she didn’t have a chance to defend herself against him.
“In the case of Sepp Blatter, I went on the stage, I was nervous for the presentation… It was the Ballon D’Or I was presenting. After that I didn’t see him and that was kind of bad. I didn’t get to tell him directly “Don’t ever touch me!” That’s the way I’ve always handled things. Directly,” Solo told Expresso.
A spokesperson for Blatter told The Guardian the allegation was “ridiculous.” Blatter, 81, was banned from FIFA for an ethics breach.
Solo also said in her interview with Expresso that she is not surprised by the multitude of sexual assault allegations that women have been stepping forward with recently. She says she has seen such inappropriate sexual conduct throughout her career and notes it is not limited to Hollywood or the entertainment industry.
Solo also spoke out about the matter via her Instagram account recently (some words have been edited by LBS).
“For the past few days, I have been thinking about all the uncomfortable situations myself and/or my team-mates have experienced throughout the years with trainers, doctors, coaches, executives and even team-mates. From inappropriate comments, unwanted advances and grabs of the a– to coaches and [general managers] and even press officers speaking about players’ ‘t—’ and physical appearance, sexual harassment is rampant in the sports world. I always felt I’d ‘handled it’ and stood up for myself in those situations, but there were never any consequences for the perpetrators. That needs to change. Silence will not change the world!”
Solo is currently serving a six-month suspension from U.S. Soccer that was handed down after she made derogatory comments about an Olympic opponent.
