The player at the centre of the controversy that has engulfed Spanish football after she was kissed on the lips by an official has accused the country’s football federation of trying to intimidate World Cup-winning players.
Key points:
- New Spanish coach Montse Tomé has named 15 boycotted players to the national team
- According to Spanish sporting law, players must obey unless circumstances prevent them from playing.
- The players said they would not play for Spain until their demands for reforms and new leadership were met.
Jenni Hermoso — who did not consent to the kiss from the former president of the federation, Luis Rubiales At the World Cup awards ceremony last month, FIFA president Eduardo Da Silva said the governing body’s decision to call up nearly half of the 39 players who had said they would not play for the national team in protest was “irrefutable proof” that “nothing has changed”.
The players had said they would not return until their demands for deep reforms and new leadership within the federation were met.
But on Tuesday, new coach Montse Tomé chose 15 of the players who helped Spain win their first Women’s World Cup last month.
Tomé left Hermoso off the list “as a way to protect her,” she said.
“Protect me from what?” Hermoso said.
“It was said that the environment within the federation would be safe for my colleagues to join, but at the same press conference it was announced that they would not call me to protect me.”
Tomé said she had spoken to Hermoso and the other players and was confident they would all show up for training camp.
The players had earlier said they were surprised by the summons and had no intention of ending their boycott.
The team announcement was originally scheduled for Friday but was postponed because no agreement had been reached with the players.
On Monday, the federation issued a statement publicly reiterating to players its commitment to structural changes.
The new coach of the Spanish women’s national team, Montse Tomé, has included 15 boycotting players in her squad. (AP Photo: Manu Fernandez)
“The people who are now asking us to trust them are the same ones who released the list of players who asked NOT to be called up,” Hermoso said.
“The players are convinced that this is a new strategy of division and manipulation to intimidate us and threaten us with legal repercussions and economic sanctions.”
Under Spanish sports law, athletes are required to answer the call-up to their national teams unless circumstances prevent them from playing, such as injury.
The players said they would study the possible legal consequences of not showing up for training camp, but said they believed the federation could not force them to join the team.
They argued that the call-up had not been made in accordance with current FIFA regulations and that some players, particularly those abroad, would not be able to show up on time.
“I want to show once again my full support to my colleagues who were taken by surprise and forced to react to another unfortunate situation caused by the people who continue to make decisions within (the federation),” Hermoso said.
“This is what we are fighting for and this is what we are doing it this way.”
The players’ demands also included the resignation of interim president Pedro Rocha and an overhaul of the women’s team’s coaching staff.
Last year, 15 players rebelled against former coach Jorge Vilda, demanding a more professional environment.
Tomé, Vilda’s assistant at the World Cup, included some of the players who rebelled in his first list.
Spain will play Nations League matches against Sweden on Friday and Switzerland on September 26.
AP
