{"id":8829,"date":"2023-09-19T13:55:03","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T13:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/19\/spain-national-womens-players-in-new-impasse-with-federation-as-dispute-intensifies\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T13:55:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T13:55:03","slug":"spain-national-womens-players-in-new-impasse-with-federation-as-dispute-intensifies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/19\/spain-national-womens-players-in-new-impasse-with-federation-as-dispute-intensifies\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain national women\u2019s players in new impasse with federation as dispute intensifies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Players for the Spanish women\u2019s national squad have reiterated their refusal to play in two upcoming fixtures without major changes to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) \u2013 the latest development amid the fallout of ex-soccer boss Luis Rubiales\u2019 unwanted kiss on La Roja<\/em> star Jennifer Hermoso. <\/p>\n

Twenty players who had previously signed a letter on Friday objecting to playing for the national team until major concerns were addressed have been named to new head coach Montse Tom\u00e9\u2019s 23-woman squad list. <\/p>\n

Tom\u00e9, who replaced former manager Jorge Vilda as part of a shake-up at RFEF following Spain\u2019s Women\u2019s World Cup triumph, selected the players for matches against Sweden and Switzerland on September 22 and 26, despite the players stating their \u201cfirm will to not be called up for motives which are justified.\u201d <\/p>\n

In statements posted to social media on Monday, the players said: \u201c[We] will study the possible legal consequences to which RFEF has exposed us by putting us on a list which we had asked not to be called up to due to reasons which were already explained publicly and in more detail to RFEF, and with that to take the best decision for our future and for our health.\u201d <\/p>\n

Despite their repeated refusal to play for Spain until substantial change is made in the federation, several players have reported for camp, including Athenea del Castillo, Misa Rodr\u00edguez, Olga Carmona and Teresa Abelleira \u2013 the latter three being signees of Friday\u2019s released statement. <\/p>\n

Asked by reporters in Madrid on Tuesday on her way into the squad hotel if the players were in agreement with Tom\u00e9\u2019s squad list, goalkeeper Rodr\u00edguez said: \u201cNo.\u201d <\/p>\n

The players\u2019 statement came just hours after Tom\u00e9 told reporters that she was in touch with the players and had made arrangements to satisfy their concerns. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe federation has worked to be able to talk to the players,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve also worked with them. We\u2019ve listened to them, we thought that we all were a part of this group, and the way is having good communication.\u201d <\/p>\n

Asked if any player had told her that they didn\u2019t want to be called up to play in the upcoming UEFA Women\u2019s Nations League matches, Tom\u00e9 said they had not. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Hermoso \u2013 who was not named in Tom\u00e9\u2019s call up \u2013 released a statement on Monday saying that \u201cnothing has changed\u201d within the federation. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been searching for weeks \u2013 months, even \u2013 for protection from the RFEF that never came,\u201d said Hermoso, who was not named in the 23-player squad for the upcoming fixtures. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who now ask us to trust them are the same ones who today disclosed the list of players who have asked NOT to be called up. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe players are certain that this is yet another strategy of division and manipulation to intimidate and threaten us with legal repercussions and economic sanctions. It is yet more irrefutable proof that shows that even today, nothing has changed.\u201d <\/p>\n

Speaking on radio network Cadena SER on Monday, V\u00edctor Francos, the president of the Spanish government\u2019s High Council of Sport (CSD), confirmed that the players could face fines and sanctions according to the country\u2019s Law of Sport for not representing the national team having been called up. <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that the call-up was agreed to with [the players],\u201d said Francos. \u201cIf they don\u2019t show up, the government will do what it has to do, which is apply the law, which is unfortunate for me, I assure you, and it hurts me. I would never want to do what I would have to do in that moment. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut the law is the law, the Law of Sport says what it says. International laws for national teams say what they say, but I still trust that there could be a path to a solution. <\/p>\n

\u201cI also tell you, I get the feeling [RFEF has] transferred to the government a problem that they had, saying, \u2018Well, we\u2019ll call them up and then the government will decide.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

According to Spain\u2019s Law of Sport and the RFEF Disciplinary Code, the players could receive a fine of between 3,006 euros ($3,213) and 30,051 euros ($32,125) and have their playing licenses suspended or confiscated for two to five years, which potentially could have implications for players\u2019 club careers in addition to their international future. <\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Spain\u2019s culture and sports minister, Miquel Iceta, urged RFEF to resolve the dispute. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe High Council of Sport will personally get involved in the search for a resolution,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Royal Spanish Football Federation has no right to deprive Spain of the women\u2019s national team, even more so after having won the World Cup. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs such, we call on the federation to correct all of the deficiencies of this anomalous squad call-up, to change its federative structures so that the federation can effectively be a space of safety, competitiveness and professionalism to which the players have a right to and Spanish citizenry has a right to.\u201d <\/p>\n

Iceta also vowed that a solution would be found before punishments can be handed out to the players. <\/p>\n

Reacting to the ongoing dispute between federation and the players, men\u2019s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Iker Casillas wrote on X (formerly Twitter): \u201cEverything they do keeps getting WORSE in RFEF.\u201d <\/p>\n

Spanish footballers\u2019 union, AFE, said it was \u201cabsolutely shocked\u201d by Monday\u2019s squad announcement in a statement. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incomprehensible that an institution, which itself has stated in the last few weeks, which hopes to commence a new era of open and consensus dialogue, demonstrates once again a huge lack of consideration towards women\u2019s football and the recently proclaimed world champions,\u201d AFE said. <\/p>\n

\u201cFrom AFE, we appeal to RFEF to cease in its efforts to pressure the players and it considers why there\u2019s such a lack of confidence and support on behalf of many of its called up players.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Spanish women\u2019s national team is due to play Sweden and Switzerland in the Women\u2019s Nations League on Friday and next Tuesday respectively. <\/p>\n

How we got here<\/h2>\n

Spanish players\u2019 dissatisfaction with the federation dates back over a year when 15 members of the senior women\u2019s squad sent personally signed letters to RFEF saying that they would no longer play for the national team unless there were wholesale changes made throughout the coaching staff. <\/p>\n

Of the 15 players who signed the letters, only three were in Spain\u2019s World Cup squad: Mariona Caldentey, Aitana Bonmat\u00ed and Ona Batlle.\u00a0<\/strong>That trio was included in Tom\u00e9\u2019s squad announced on Monday. <\/p>\n

Despite those off-field struggles, a young Spanish side produced a superb run at the Women\u2019s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, defeating England in the final to lift a first title. <\/p>\n

The achievement was subsequently overshadowed by Rubiales\u2019 actions during the medal ceremony and the fallout which followed, culminating in the ex-soccer boss resigning as RFEF president on September 11. <\/p>\n

However, now that Vilda and Rubiales have left their positions, RFEF hopes to kick-start a new chapter in women\u2019s soccer. <\/p>\n

On Monday before announcing the squad list, it released a statement underlining its commitment to enforce changes in the organization. <\/p>\n

\u201cIts absolutely necessary, to realize these changes, to clarify each of the behaviors and conducts which may have occurred and act, as such, with professionalism and justice, settling the relevant responsibilities in each case,\u201d it said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s evident that the Federation, society and the very players are aligned with this same objective: the renewal and beginning of a new era where football is the great winner of all of this process.\u201d <\/p>\n

On Friday, Rubiales testified in Spain\u2019s National Court after being summoned by the presiding judge to aid in the court\u2019s investigation into potential charges of sexual assault and coercion against him. <\/p>\n

The Spanish Prosecutor\u2019s office said Rubiales answered questions from the judge and all parties and denied the charges. <\/p>\n

Later on Friday, the judge gave Rubiales a restraining order, preventing him from going within 200 meters of Hermoso, and ordered him not to communicate with her during the court\u2019s investigation. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole world could see it was not consensual. That\u2019s what we\u2019ll show,\u201d Hermoso\u2019s lawyer Carla Vall said after leaving the National Court in the capital of Madrid. <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Players for the Spanish women\u2019s national squad have reiterated their refusal to play in two upcoming fixtures without major changes to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) \u2013 the latest development amid the fallout of ex-soccer boss Luis Rubiales\u2019 unwanted kiss on La Roja star Jennifer Hermoso. Twenty players who had previously signed a letter <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8830,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8829","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}