Hope Solo says former FIFA president Sepp Blatter sexually assaulted her when he grabbed her buttocks backstage at the Ballon d'Or awards in 2013.
U.S. women's national team goalkeeper Hope Solo says then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter sexually assaulted her in 2013.
Speaking to Expresso while in Portugal, Solo said Blatter "grabbed my ass" at the Ballon d'Or award ceremony.
Blatter's representative called the allegation "ridiculous" in a statement to Expresso and The Guardian.
"I had Sepp Blatter grab my ass," Solo told Expresso. "... It was at the Ballon d'Or one year, right before I went on stage. ... It's been normalized."
Hope Solo said former FIFA president Sepp Blatter grabbed her buttocks just prior to walking on stage together to present Abby Wamback with the women's world player of the year award in 2013.
Solo and Blatter walked on stage together to present the women's world player of the year to her U.S. teammate Abby Wambach.
"I was in shock and completely thrown off," Solo told the Guardian. "I had to quickly pull myself together to present my teammate with the biggest award of her career and celebrate with her in that moment, so I completely shifted my focus to Abby."
Solo said she never saw Blatter again after the ceremony and was disappointed not to be able to "tell him directly, 'Don't ever touch me!'
"That's the way I've always handled things. Directly," she added.
Blatter, now 81, was banned by FIFA in 2015 after serving as president since 1998. In 2004, he was criticized for saying women players should consider wearing more revealing uniforms, such as skimpier shorts, to bring more attention to the game.
Last month, Solo posted on Instagram in the wake of revelations about the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, and on Friday she reiterated her stance to the Guardian that more must be done to combat sexual harassment in women's sports.
"While in this instance it was Sepp Blatter, who was the most powerful man in football at the time, sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior are rampant at every level in women's sport, and it needs to stop."
Solo, who won the 2015 World Cup with the U.S., has been sidelined by an injury and has not played for the national team since a six-month suspension for criticizing opponents Sweden at the Olympics in 2016.
