Alexia Putellas, FC Barcelona star, Ballon d’Or 2021, supported her teammates from the Spanish team. Fifteen of them – mainly FC Barcelona players – sent an email to the president of the Federation Luis Rubiales to indicate that they would no longer come to the national team, in disagreement with the methods of coach Jorge Vilda.
“(The protesters) will only return to the national team if they accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness”
the spanish federation
The Federation, which confirmed the latter in his functions, also responded firmly to the players, not seeming to want to open the dialogue. He thus indicated that the protesters “He will only return to the national team if he accepts his mistake and apologizes”.
Putellas, currently injured and therefore unselectable, shared on his Twitter account the press release published by the Spanish internationals who wanted to clarify their position.
They “regret” first of all that the Spanish Federation “has made public, in a partial and interested way, a private communication, with information that affects (his) health”. In addition, they claim not to have ” In no case did he resign from the Spanish team”. “That is why in our communication sent to the RFEF we request not to be summoned until the situations that affect our state of mind and personal, our performance and, consequently, the results of the selection are resolved and that may lead to undesirable injuries”the players explain.
“We do not tolerate the childish tone with which the RFEF concludes its press release”
The Spanish internationals have decided to withdraw from the national team
if she asks “a firm commitment to a professional project” for “get the best performance”The internationals deny having asked for the coach’s resignation. “We understand that our job is not in any way to elect said position, but to express in a constructive and honest way what we believe can improve the performance of the group”, adds the Spaniards who refute any idea of ”whim” or “blackmail”.
“We do not tolerate the childish tone with which the RFEF concludes its press release”, add the players before finishing: “We regret that in women’s sports we have to go to this extreme, as has unfortunately happened historically in other national teams and other sports around the world, in order to advance in a powerful and ambitious professional project for the present and for future generations. . »
At the last meeting, in September, the three executives Irene Paredes, Patri Guijarro and Jenni Hermoso called a press conference and recognized a “general discomfort” when questioning Vilda, in charge since 2015, but who had denied having asked for her resignation. Neither Irene Paredes nor Jenni Hermoso, both also injured and unavailable for the next rally, are among the players who have applied to the Federation.
According to the press, the fifteen “rebels” are Ainhoa Moraza, Lucía García, Leila Ouahabi, Mapi León, Claudia Pina, Laia Aleixandri, Ona Batlle, Andrea Pereira, Aitana Bonmatí, Sandra Paños, Amaiur Sarriegi, Lola Gallardo, Nerea Eizaguirre , Mariona Caldentey and Patri Guijarro. No Real Madrid player appears on this list. Six of these fifteen players play for FC Barcelona.
The American superstar Megan Rapinoe, Ballon d’Or in 2019, gave her support to the fifteen Spanish rebels. “A sixteenth player is by your side in the United States”The American international wrote on her Instagram account, followed by 2.2 million people.