• RFEF Statement Promises "a safe environment" and urges players to "join the change"

Jenni Hermoso, a member of the team that won the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, wonders what or who they want to protect her from by leaving her out of the selection squad for the first two matches of the Nations League.

"I would like to make something very clear, there has been an attempt to argue that the environment would be unsafe for my colleagues when in the same press conference it was communicated that they do not summon me to protect me. Protect me from what? or from whom?", asks the scorer in her social networks.

Hermoso has played with the Spanish national team in 69 games and has scored forty goals, but the new coach Montse Tomé did not include the player in her list to face Sweden and Switzerland with the argument that she wants to protect her from all the media noise generated by the kiss that Luis Rubiales gave her during the celebration for the conquest of the World Cup.

Hermoso returned to Mexico more than a week ago to rejoin his club, Pachuca, with which he has had two brief appearances in the Apertura tournament. The Spanish player declared herself surprised on Monday by the new events around the national team.

Maximum tension in the selection

Last Friday, in the after-dinner table, 39 Spanish footballers, including 21 of the 23 world champions, made public a statement. In the 533 words that made it up, at no time was any explicit refusal to attend an eventual call of the selection. The interpretation of that text was obvious: they did not want to be called until those "structural changes" that they have been asking for occurred, and that translated into Spanish means the dismissal of at least half a dozen people, managers and workers of the Federation, who they consider prevent a "safe environment" for them. But that absence of an explicit resignation is what the Federation has used to make its list of summoned without having reached an agreement with them.

Because there is no agreement. As much as they insisted to Montse Tomé during the press conference, he was not able to guarantee that the selected players (among which are 15 world champions and even Mapi León and Patri Guijarro, 'rebels' who did not give their arm to twist even to be this summer in the team) will be this Tuesday in Madrid at a time yet to be determined. Federation sources insist that there was no "explicit" refusal of the players to be called.

Montse Tomé, on the absence of Jenni Hermoso in the list of the selection: "It is the best way to protect her"THE WORLD

As this newspaper learned on Monday, the players felt "very surprised". In fact, they were in talks with their lawyers to assess their options, and even one of those lawyers tried to make an official consultation to UEFA to see if the call of the Federation has complied with all the regulatory parameters, such as the fact of having to send 15 days in advance a pre-list to the organization of the competition (UEFA in this case) or a pre-notice to the clubs where they play the footballers. In short: the match against Sweden, of the first day of the League of Nations, scheduled for Friday at 18:30 p.m. in Göteborg, is still up in the air.

NEW PRESS RELEASE

Of course, late on Monday, the internationals issued a new statement where they made "clear and without any option to another interpretation" their "firm will not to be summoned for justified reasons." That is, they referred to what was said on September 15, a position that remains "fully valid." However, at no time did they advance that they will not play against the Swedish team, their victim in the semifinal of the World Cup (2-1).

The internationals warned that they will study the "possible legal consequences to which the RFEF exposes us" with the aim of making the "best decision" for "our future and for our health". In his opinion, the call of Tomé "has not been made in a timely manner", so they understand that the RFEF "is not in a position to demand that we go".

Find out more

Women's football.

Surprise in the first list of the women's team of Montse Tomé: calls several champions and some of the 'rebels'

  • Writing: IRIA OTERO Madrid

Surprise in the first list of the women's team of Montse Tomé: calls several champions and some of the 'rebels'

Football.

Athenea del Castillo explains her absence in the statement: "The players cannot execute those changes that we are asking for"

  • Writing: IRIA OTERO Madrid

Athenea del Castillo explains her absence in the statement: "The players cannot execute those changes that we are asking for"

"I am confident that they will be here tomorrow," Tomé had repeated on several occasions during his press conference, and that is the closest he came to ensuring the presence of the selected. Pure "confidence", because I knew that there had been no agreement at this time of the afternoon. In fact, the Federation, shortly before releasing the list (16:30 p.m.) had published a letter where there are perfectly calculated phrases in anticipation of a possible legal dispute, either in the sports or ordinary jurisdiction.

"THEY ARE URGED TO JOIN THIS CHANGE"

"The RFEF wants to convey to the internationals of the National Team the public commitment acquired by the new direction of the institution that directs football in Spain [...]. Therefore, the players led by the Federation are urged, understanding that the transformations that must continue must be solid and fair." That is, a kind of public guarantee of changes that pretend to leave without arguments to the players, who have taken a great surprise when they have heard their names and who now have very little room for maneuver.

In the call would return the three goalkeepers of last summer: Misa Rodríguez, Cata Coll, Enith Salon; in defense would also return Irene Paredes, Oihane, Olga Carmona and Ona Batlle. In midfield Tomé has called Aitana Bonmatí, Alexia Putellas, María Pérez, and Teresa Abelleira. And as for the forwards and world champions, Esther González, Mariona Caldentey and Eva Navarro would return to the national team, as well as Athenea del Castillo, the only one who had been unmarked from the internationals last Friday, when 21 of the 23 champions made a statement announcing that they maintained their refusal to be cited. There are World Cup players who are not, of course. Claudia Zorzona because she retired from the national team, Salma Paralluelo because she is injured, and Jenni Hermoso because, said Tomé, "it is the best way to protect her at this time."

  • Spain Women's National Team
  • Jenni Hermoso
  • Luis Rubiales