Rubiales fell, Vilda fell but there is still more to fall: the Spanish champion maintains his withdrawal from the national team (with two exceptions)

“Yes, of course I am going to resign.” The phrase from the first excerpt of Luis Rubiales’ interview with Piers Morgan seemed to mark a before and after in the entire controversy started by the kiss of the now former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to Jenni Hermoso at the medal ceremony. after winning the Women’s World Championship. In part it turned out to be. However, Not everything will be solved after this resignation. Far from there. And the first sign of this came this Friday morning: even with the departure of Luis Rubiales and even with the dismissal of coach Jorge Vilda, replaced by Montse Tomé, the players maintain the position of not representing the national team.

According to several Spanish media outlets, the 23 world champion players had sent a statement to the RFEF expressing their intention to resign from La Roja as they had expressed on August 25, detailing the reasons for supporting that position (text that only It later became public knowledge. “This is a firm, unanimous and consensual decision,” they highlighted in a scenario that leaves between the lines that Rubiales left but oh blondeism remains in the RFEF. This position was definitively taken this Thursday, after a meeting between all the champions plus some athletes who signed the letter and the FutPro union, which has mediated in most of the conflicts.

???? the players there @SEFutbolFemworld champions and other footballers, in support of @Jennihermoso expresses its firm condemnation of conduct that violates the dignity of women.
The call is open to footballers who want to join.#it’s over pic.twitter.com/PW91SW9Ts0

—FUTPRO (@futpro_es) August 25, 2023

However, throughout the morning Cadena SER and As have been advancing information that revealed the existence of players who, having been in the last World Cup or simply showing their presence in the letter of resignation from the national team, would be available to take part. of the Roja selections for the next commitments. The information was indeed confirmed, the exceptions being Athenea del Castillo and Claudia Zornoza. Then there was another “bomb”: Zorzona announced her withdrawal from the Spanish team. As As explains, the resignation from the national team is described in the Spanish National Sports Law as a “very serious infraction”, which can mean at least a fine and the suspension of the federative license to play football. This possibility arose if Montse Tomé called these athletes and the resignation remained as it is.

“The players of the senior national team, recently world champions, as well as their teammates, wish to express, as they did on August 25, 2023, their enormous discontent following the events of the medal entry at the Women’s World Championship and subsequent . Extraordinary General Assembly of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The facts that unfortunately everyone was able to verify are not something concrete and go beyond sport. “We must have zero tolerance for these acts, with our partners, with ourselves and with all women,” He begins by defending the statement released this afternoon. “Several weeks after the incident, we want to make public the holding of several meetings with the RFEF where the changes that we understand are basic to be able to move forward and reach a structure that does not tolerate or participate in such degrading acts,” adds the same text released before the called up to Tomé’s ranks.

“The players of the Spanish team have always been open to dialogue, seeking to convey the clear and well-argued reasons that we believe are necessary to be able to carry out our work at the highest level with the respect that we deserve. The specified changes to the RFEF are based on zero tolerance towards those people who, from a position within the RFEF, had, inciting, hidden or applauding, attitudes contrary to the dignity of women. We firmly believe that strong changes are needed in the management positions of the RFEF and, specifically, in the field of women’s football. We understand that all people must be away from the system that should protect us and that unfortunately is far from what an advanced society is,” the letter continues.

“In view of the above, we explain in detail the changes requested so that this type of attitude is not repeated and with the aim of having absolute transparency: restructuring of the organizational chart of women’s football and restructuring of the presidency and the general secretary. , with the resignation of the president of the RFEF, the restructuring of the communication and marketing area and the restructuring of the integrity department. Today, as we told the RFEF, the changes being made are not enough so that the players feel in a safe place, where women are respected, where we invest in women’s football and where we can give our maximum performance,” the text details.

“We want to end this statement by expressing that the players of the Spanish team are professional players and what fills us most with pride is wearing the shirt of our team and leading our country to the highest positions. Thanks to him, we believe that this is the time to fight to show that these situations and practices have no place in our football and in our society, “that the current structure needs changes and that we do so so that the next generations can have a much more equal football that lives up to what everyone deserves,” concludes the statement signed by 21 of the 23 champions with the exception of Athenea. del Castillo and Claudia Zornoza (the last one announced after leaving the team).

Jenni Hermoso, Alexia Putellas, Misa Rodríguez, Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Mariona Caldentey, Teresa Abelleira, María Pérez, Cata Coll, Aitana Bonmatí, Laia Codina, Claudia Zornoza, Oihane Hernández, Rocío Gálvez, Irene Guerrero, Alba Redondo, Athenea del Castillo, Eva Navarro, Enith Salón, Ivana Andrés, Olga Carmona, Esther González and Salma Paralluelo, the 23 world champions, and Elene Lete, Fiamma Benítez, Marta Cardona, Maite Oroz, Patri Guijarro, Lola Gallardo, Nerea Eizagirre, Ainhoa ​​Moraza , Mapi León, Sandra Paños, Claudia Pina, Amaiur Sarriegi, Leila Ouahabi, Laia Aleixandri, Lucía García and Andrea Pereira, who in some cases were part of the first group of 15 dissidents who asked the RFEF to remove Jorge Vilda from office before the World Cup, they were the 39 signatories of the August resignation letter.

Thus, there were doubts about what could come out of Montse Tomé’s first call for the two initial commitments of the new Nations League (which will give access to the Games), with Spain repeating the World Cup semi-final on the 22nd in Gothenburg against Sweden and then receiving Switzerland in Córdoba. Here too there was a drastic change of plans: not only There was no official announcement of all those summoned (possible) for the following games since the coach did not have the “presentation”. Negotiations between the parties will still be in play to make it possible to withdraw the resignation.