The waters seemed calmer in the new women’s Spain, but as the start of the soccer World Cup approaches, doubts grow about how the conflict between the so-called ’15 rebels’ will be resolved. A good part of the group of Spanish internationals facing coach Jorge Vilda have relaxed their position and are willing to return to the national team. The countdown has begun in La Roja, and only two weeks before the penultimate and decisive list is known before the World Cup to be held between July and August in Australia and New Zealand, several players, given the impossibility of advancing in negotiations that were never produced, they want to be able to be chosen by the coach to play this World Cup.
The FEF, for its part, assures, according to the Ser chain, that it has the doors open to the return of the players, but it makes it a non-negotiable condition that all those who want to wear the Spanish shirt again send an email rectifying and confirming that are, again, selectable. «They sent one saying that they could not go, now they have to do the same to return. Once I send the email, it will be seen,” FEF sources told the same outlet. It is an essential condition.
The conflict has been entrenched in time since last September 22 when the 15 ‘rebels’: the majority of Barcelona players such as Mariona Caldentey, Patri Guijarro, Sandra Paños or Aitana Bonmatí, historical team players such as Lola Gallardo and Mapi León or young talents such as Ona Batlle and Laia Aleixandri, among others, informed the Federation of their resignation from the national team due to its refusal to remove Vilda from office. They alleged physical and psychological reasons for this. Far from paying attention to this group of soccer players, the Federation published a statement recalling that “according to current Spanish legislation, not attending a call from the national team is classified as a very serious infraction and can lead to sanctions of between two and five years of disqualification. It is worth noting the absence of the three captains: Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas -current Ballon d’Or and FIFA The Best- and Jenni Hermoso did not participate.
Since the beginning of this ‘storm’, there have been continuous conversations through the FutPro union with its president, Amanda Gutiérrez, as spokesperson. The union was the only authorized voice to discuss the crisis with the Federation, and the players decided not to speak publicly in order not to hinder a possible agreement. However, no imminent agreement is in sight and everything goes through an intermediate solution. Some are willing to return and others are aware that they may have lost their place in the team.
In recent weeks, voices like that of Aitana Bonmatí have been heard, in an interview with the newspaper Ara, in which she appealed for dialogue: “We have to fix things for the good of women’s football.” Or that of Mapi León in which she assured that her values come before the World Cup, and that she does not intend to give in: “It will screw me, but if some things are not changed, it will not leave” . The players understand that they are being criticized for trying to improve their work and refer to the recent cases of Canada or France to argue that it is a general demand. “The problem in women’s football does not only affect Spain,” Alexia Putellas recently said in an interview with beIN Sports. “It’s exhausting having to constantly demand improvements to be able to perform better,” said the Barcelona captain.
A few months before the most anticipated international tournament begins, the situation of some women’s teams is worrying to say the least. In recent weeks, several players have raised their voices against their federations, with equal pay, the lack of professional resources and poor management as the main demands. Canada – current Olympic champion – led to the resignation of federation president Nick Bontis, and France recently sacked coach Corinne Diacre after pressure from the team’s most important players.
