As reported by the Guardian, in an upcoming interview with Portuguese newspaper Expresso, Hope Solo says Sepp Blatter sexually assaulted her at the 2013 Fifa Ballon d’Or ceremony when she “had Sepp Blatter grab my ass.” Solo said they were about to go out on stage to present the women’s player of the year award, which Abby Wambach won for her achievements in 2012, and that she was “in shock and completely thrown off.”
“I had to quickly pull myself together to present my team-mate with the biggest award of her career and celebrate with her in that moment, so I completely shifted my focus to Abby,” said Solo.