New tension in the crisis of the Spanish women’s national football team: Four days after the written boycott by 39 top players, including 21 newly crowned world champions, Spain’s new national coach Montse Tomé has called on 20 rebels for the upcoming Nations League games in Sweden (22 September) and against Switzerland (September 26). There are also 15 world champions on the list. There was initially no reaction from the players. According to Spanish law, athletes are obliged to accept calls to join the country’s national teams.
In the Spanish media, the squad nomination was seen as an indication that the boycott front of women’s footballers was softened by the RFEF association over the past weekend. The RFEF announced further “structural reforms” in a public announcement on Monday that are intended to meet the demands of female footballers. In particular, they called for personnel consequences. The footballers want to ensure that various officials who sided with resigned President Luis Rubiales in the so-called “kissing affair” are removed from their positions.
Rubiales was the trigger for the deep crisis – in particular through the famous kiss that he placed on Jenni Hermoso, 33, on the mouth at the World Cup victory ceremony and which is now being prosecuted. National coach Tomé explained that she did not call up Hermoso because it was the best way to “protect her”.