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The players of the Spanish women’s soccer team do not want to be called up until the current situation with Jorge Vilda is resolved

BarcelonaThe dressing room of the Spanish national football team can do no more. The situation is unsustainable and fifteen footballers have formally asked the Federation not to call them for the next call. While the Federation, through a statement, has accused them of resigning en bloc from the state team, the internationals ask that they not be called because the situation generated “is significantly affecting” their emotional state and, therefore, your health. “The players regret, first of all, that the RFEF has made public, in a partial and self-interested way, a private communication, with information that affects our health – which is part of our privacy -, issued in response to the request of the Federation itself to know which of us wanted not to be called. Communication from which, by the way, we have not received a response”, they argue in a statement published this afternoon.

In the text, published on social networks, the footballers wanted to reiterate their position. “In no case have we given up on the selection. In our publication we request not to be called up until situations that affect our mental and personal state, our performance and, consequently, the results of the selection, are reversed and that could result in unwanted injuries,” they add. “We have never asked for the dismissal of the coach as has been discussed. We understand that our job is not, in any case, to choose this position, but to express in a constructive and honest way what we consider can improve the performance of the group. Sol ·by applying not to be called up, we penalize our professional career, our economy and of course continue to build something important in women’s football. Getting to where we are right now has taken years of effort from many people and there is still a lot left to do improve as is being demonstrated recently,” they argue along the same lines.

The joint statement is the second part of the communication with the Federation, this time made publicly, which reiterates the desire of the footballers not to return to the national team’s dressing room until the situation is resolved. “I hereby inform you that as a result of the recent events that have taken place in the Spanish national team and the situation generated, facts of which you are aware…”. This is how the email, which Cadena SER has had access to, that the footballers sent to the Federation this Thursday begins. “Because of all this, I currently do not see myself in a position to be a selectable player for our national team and for this reason I request not to be called up until this situation is reversed”, they stress. The full disagreement with the methods of Jorge Vilda, coach since 2015 despite not having won a title, was already noticeable when they asked the state body to take measures against a situation that was beginning to be irreversible. The players do not share the evaluations of the coach, nor their approaches to the match nor the management of the calls. The workload, they think, is poorly planned and the management of minutes is not done in an intelligent and respectful way, taking into account the well-being of the footballers – an argument defended by Barça on several occasions, since each call-up with the Spanish national team it ended in a new injury for a Blaugrana player.

Now, seeing that their demands have not been met, the female footballers have gone on a war footing. The players who have asked not to be called up are Blaugrana players Sandra Paños, Mapi León, Patri Guijarro, Mariona Caldentey, Aitana Bonmatí and Claudia Pina, as well as Atlético de Madrid goalkeeper Lola Gallardo, Ainhoa ​​Vicente de l’ Athletic Bilbao, Nerea Izagirre and Amaiur Sarriegi from Real Sociedad, Ona Batlle, Laia Aleixandri and Leila Ouahabi from Manchester City, Lucía García from Manchester United and Andrea Pereira, who has just signed for America Femenil Mexico. Despite the fact that she is injured and cannot be called up, Alexia Putellas has also shared the statement. Of the culers, the only one who has remained on the sidelines has been Irene Paredes, captain of the selection. In addition, no Real Madrid player has participated in this action.

The footballers, however, defend that they have not given up on the national team, as the Federation claims, but they are asking that they not be called in next week’s call-up. “My past, present and future commitment to the team was, is and will be absolute. And I am the first to wish to achieve maximum sporting success for our national team. I remain at their disposal for whatever they deem appropriate, always having the goal of looking for the best for our national team”, the fifteen footballers conclude in the email.

How did Vilda manage the national team?

Throughout the history of the women’s national team – it was created in 1983 – only three coaches have occupied the bench. The first was Teodoro Nieto, who was only in office for a couple of years until Ignacio Quereda took over. In contrast to his predecessor, the Madrid coach led the team for almost three decades. Quereda, however, resigned in 2015 after the elimination of Canada’s World Cup selection and after countless complaints following his derogatory and vexatious treatment of soccer players. Despite the fact that the Federation was aware of this situation since 1996, almost 20 years before he left office, Quereda remained on the bench until he decided to leave. His place was taken by Jorge Vilda.

Despite the fact that he had no experience as a coach of a professional team, the Madrid coach reached the bench of the absolute. Before being appointed national coach, he coached teams in the lower categories (under-17) of the selection, where he came to agree with his father, who directed the under-19. Ángel Vilda, Jorge Vilda’s father, was a physical trainer for teams such as Johan Cruyff’s Barça and Luis Aragonés’ Atlético de Madrid, and maintains a good relationship with the president of the Federation, Luis Rubiales.

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