Numerous soccer players from world champion Spain have apparently ended their international strike. 15 players from the world champion team were nominated on Monday by the new national coach Montse Tomé for the UEFA Nations League games on Friday in Sweden and on Tuesday at home against Switzerland. Tomé said she spoke to the players before the squad was announced. However, she did not want to reveal the content of the discussions.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Hermoso was not appointed. The 33-year-old was kissed unasked on the mouth by the then president of the Spanish national association RFEF, Luis Rubiales, who has since resigned, at the award ceremony after Spain’s final triumph over England on August 20th in Sydney. Regarding the reasons for not nominating Hermoso, Tomé said that they wanted to “protect” her.
“Guarantee players a safe environment”
Rubiales was initially suspended for 90 days by the world association FIFA and recently resigned from his position as RFEF boss after long resistance. However, after Rubiales’ resignation, 21 of the 23 Spanish footballers in the World Cup squad and 18 other top players also called for the removal of RFEF interim president Pedro Rocha and other officials close to Rubiales. As far as is known, this request had not been complied with as of Monday.
However, the RFEF published a communiqué on Monday in which it was emphasized: “We guarantee the players a safe environment and are committed to a climate of mutual trust in order to work together to ensure that women’s football develops even stronger in the future.”
Bonmati and Putellas nominated
Among the nominated players are Aitana Bonmatí, who was named the best World Cup player, and world footballer Alexia Putellas. There was initially no statement from the players. According to media reports, the association had offered the striking players personnel changes in the organization the day before, but at the same time also gave them an ultimatum that expired at midnight. The RFEF threatened fines and multi-year bans for those players who refused to play for “La Roja”. There was currently no official confirmation of this information.
To this day, Rubiales maintains that the kiss in Sydney was consensual. But Hermoso explained that she felt “like the victim of an impulsive, sexist and inappropriate act that I did not consent to.” The player filed a complaint, thereby enabling the public prosecutor’s office to file a criminal complaint with the State Court. The investigating judge must now decide whether Rubiales should be put in the dock. The 46-year-old faces a prison sentence of up to four years.