A female reporter groped live on air at the World Cup has spoken out about harassment by sports fans at the tournament in Russia.
Colombian correspondent Julieth Gonzalez Theran was working for DW Espanol in Moscow when a man grabbed her breast and kissed her cheek.
She continued her report without interruption but has since addressed the incident online.
“We do not deserve this treatment,” Gonzalez Theran said. “We are equally valuable and professional.”
She told her employer, Deutsche Welle, she had been on the scene for two hours preparing for the broadcast.
“When we went live, this fan took advantage of the situation,” she said. “But afterwards, when I checked to see if he was still there, he was gone.”
The incident happened last week in the city of Saransk ahead of the Russia-Saudi Arabia game. DW posted the footage on social media, calling it an “attack” and “blatant harassment”.
Watch the video below:
A DW reporter was sexually harassed while covering the #WorldCup. @JULIETHCGT was kissed, groped by a man while reporting from Moscow.
The incident can be seen here (00:13).
Sexual harassment is not okay. It needs to stop. In football, and elsewhere.pic.twitter.com/O0S1a1F4Es
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) June 20, 2018