Jennifer Hermoso was the player who was kissed on the mouth by Football Federation president Luis Rubiales during the gold celebration at the World Cup.
The Spanish national team star said afterwards that the kiss was done against her will. The aftermath has attracted worldwide attention and Rubiales has been accused of sexual assault.
Now Hermoso's name is missing from the national team squad that was presented on Monday. The motivation from new Spanish coach Montse Tomé is to protect her. But that is something Hermoso himself disputes.
"Protect me from what? And from whom?" she writes on platform X.
There, she also expresses support for her teammates:
"The players are sure that this is another part, a strategy of division and manipulation wants to intimidate and threaten us with legal action and economic sanctions."
Late on Monday evening, the message came from several of the selected players that the boycott remains. They describe that they have been selected against their will and plan to take legal action against the union.