The unpresentable performance of the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubialesafter the victory in the Women’s World Cup ended up triggering a ‘it’s over’ of which consequences are revealed. The empowerment of the players and the solidarity of the vast majority of public opinion in the face of degrading treatment has resulted in the resignation of Rubiales, the dismissal of the coach Jorge Vildacannot be dissociated from a strike that forced improvements in the professional conditions of the F League and continued with the demand by 39 players for drastic changes in the federative structure to be selected.
The players’ claim had as its final response, this Monday, a statement from the federation in which it acquired the “public commitment” to “make structural changes”, settle responsibilities and begin “a new stage” guaranteeing “a safe environment” in a “climate of mutual trust.” The promises from the new president, Pedro Rocha, to launch a transition, initiated with the dismissal of coach Jorge Vilda, represent a promising change. But the commitments have not been exactly concrete. And the confidence that they are real has been damaged when, just after the conciliatory statement, the first measure, the call for 23 players to join this Tuesday, refutes the good intentions and repeats many of the vices reported by the players.
The athletes were outraged by the information management after the embarrassment of the Sydney final, with statements that put other people’s words in their mouths and press releases illustrated with photographs to question their version of events. That this Monday it was said that the decision had been made after speaking with those interested when many of them claim that they found out about the appointment live and through the media, It is not the best example of correctness of the attitudes denounced. The players have criticized (already since the manifesto of the first 15 rebels) the lack of professionalism and means dedicated to women’s football from the federative structure. This lack of seriousness seems to be continued with a chaotic summons that has not been communicated to the clubs and without a minimum travel plan to transport players dispersed in several countries and continents from one day to the next. Beyond the gestures that violated players like Jenni Hermoso or the craziness of Rubiales’ mimicry from the box, a no less objectionable aspect of the unjustified celebration in Sydney was that it actually seemed like a vindication of the extent to which the president and the coach had imposed their will on the dissatisfied ones. Launch a call that puts the selected ones between a rock and a hard placein the position of bowing its head or facing fines or disqualification, is too similar to another tragala.
It is true that, as the new officials of the RFEF point out, a purge of federation employees cannot be applied from one day to the next, and nominally dictated by the players. And also that good words are on the table and after the catharsis of these last few weeks there is no alternative to making them come true. But The first step of this new stage still carries vices from the previous one and does not guarantee at all the reconstruction of “mutual trust”.