The boycott came to a close with government intervention to facilitate an agreement, albeit with the exception of two players, Patri Guijarro and Mapi Len, who opted to depart from the training camp.
The government provided assurance to the players that they would not face sanctions for declining call-ups to the national team. The remaining players reluctantly remained in camp after being selected by Montse Tome, the new head coach, on Monday.
The players had previously declared their refusal to represent Spain until significant changes were made within the federation. This crisis had its roots in an incident where Luis Rubiales, the former head of the Spanish federation, kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the awards ceremony following Spain’s Women’s World Cup victory in Australia last month.
Specific details of the agreed-upon changes were not disclosed after meetings involving the government’s top sports official, players, Tome, and federation officials. These discussions concluded in the early hours of Wednesday.
Amanda Gutierrez, president of the FUTRPO players’ union, stated that progress had been made toward achieving equal treatment for Spain’s women’s and men’s national teams. She mentioned an agreement to restructure women’s soccer to align it with the executive and administrative staff of the men’s team, with the aim of further professionalizing the women’s team and staff.
Victor Francos, Spain’s secretary for sports and president of the Higher Council for Sports, described the meetings as “cordial” and indicated that the agreements should promote advancements in gender policies, equal pay, and structural changes in women’s football. However, it remains unclear if there will be further personnel changes within the federation.
Among the players’ demands was the removal of Pedro Rocha, the interim president who replaced Rubiales after his resignation.
Len and Guijarro had not played for Spain since joining a player revolt with 15 team members last year, refusing to participate for the national team until the federation created a more “professional” working environment, which was a precursor to the current protest.
Len stated upon leaving the team, “The situation for Patri and me is different from our teammates. This was not the right way to come back. We were not ready to simply say, ‘We’re back.’ This is a process. It is true that we are pleased to see changes being made.”
Officials clarified that the players did not call for Tome’s resignation. She had previously served as an assistant to Jorge Vilda, the former head coach disliked by much of the squad, and resigned during the Rubiales controversy but returned to replace her former boss.
Tome selected nearly half of the 39 players who declared their refusal to play for the national team until their demands were met on Monday, including 15 World Cup-winning players.
Hermoso was not among them, as Tome explained the decision as a means to protect her. Hermoso, who stated she did not consent to the kiss by Rubiales, accused the federation of attempting to intimidate her teammates by selecting them for the national team against their will.
The players expressed surprise at the squad announcement but attended the camp to avoid violating a Spanish sports law that obliges athletes to respond to national team call-ups unless there are legitimate reasons preventing them from participating. Non-compliance with a national team call-up can result in fines or even bans from playing for their clubs.
The government confirmed after the meetings that it would not seek any punishment for the players who chose to leave ahead of Spain’s Nations League fixtures against Sweden on Friday and Switzerland on Tuesday.
The overnight meeting between players and officials coincided with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in New York to promote Spain’s joint bid with Portugal and Morocco to host the 2030 men’s World Cup. The government had expressed concerns that the Rubiales scandal could negatively impact the bid.
BREAKING: Spain’s World Cup-winning squad have agreed to end their boycott of the national team 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/UW0mJ8XGJO
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 20, 2023
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Spain is currently playing the Euro Qualification. It won its previous match 6-0 against Cyprus.
