MADRID, 24 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish international Alexia Putellas has assured that for years they have “not” felt treated as “elite athletes” by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and that it was necessary to have “uncomfortable conversations” in order to “improve”, in addition to indicate that those who “do not” understand them are “because they do not want to understand.”
“We are the first ones who want to be there, I want to make this very clear. The issue is that what we were clear about and we wanted to go ahead was zero tolerance. The system failed: the RFEF failed, the country failed. We must have conversations uncomfortable, such as this one, to grow, to evolve, to improve the things that we see that have failed. We had meetings, we explained what we felt and what was not seen, and from there it was the RFEF that had to see what should be done. to do or what not to do,” he declared to the media.
In this sense, he explained that what they reported was “a type of behavior and a type of attitude that cannot be accepted in any work environment.” “We explained it at the press conference today, in three statements… I think that if it is no longer understood it is because we do not want to understand it. Yesterday in Seville they gave us free time, we went out into the street and the people who approached us “I understood it clearly. They encouraged us, they told us to continue and that they were proud and thank you for helping to make a better society. People were really excited,” he said.
“What do you want us to say? Everything is clear. If you want, two sentences, let’s see if they help them understand: zero tolerance for what everyone saw, zero tolerance for things that have not been seen because they have not been live and which cannot be talked about because there is an open trial; and structural changes. For decades, women’s football has not been on the list of priorities,” she continued.
In addition, he gave examples of this difference in treatment with respect to the men’s team. “In the Euro Cup qualification: it was played on Thursday, on Wednesday we had to do the official training there and we had to catch a plane, we had to get up at three in the morning. It was exhausting when we were captains, we had to be pending that those schedules were schedules of elite athletes. If you go on vacation with the family and buy that flight, you have decided, but we are elite athletes and we depend on many things. Training, food and rest. No We believed that it was coherent and normal to get up at three in the morning and the next day have to compete to be in a Euro Cup,” he explained.
“Examples like that, for a long time, repeated. In another tournament, in February before the Euro Cup; you play against high-level teams, where the details can make the difference. But you no longer start from the same conditions, because they moved on planes between venues and you had to spend six hours on the bus, and the next day you played against England. You came from spending six or seven hours on a bus and they came by plane. These are the examples that I can explain of changes that we asked for,” he added.
Throughout this journey, the Catalan assures that what hurt her the most were “the lack of respect.” “That people criticize a game or a player is part of the profession, but there are things that go further, that are invented things and that are going to harm. Not for me, I don’t care and I am clear for what I fight, but for the profession. You think about those girls, that that message could reach them and that their dream changes and they don’t want to be soccer players…”, he indicated.
Putellas also spoke about this controversial call. “We didn’t understand why we had to go to Oliva, because the home of the national team and the RFEF is Las Rozas. We hadn’t done anything wrong to have to be away from there. They guaranteed us that it was for safety, and now you’re starting to think: security, why? There I leave the reflection. That will have to be answered by whoever makes this type of decision. We didn’t even know where the concentration was. They told us ‘to Valencia’, well to Valencia. Because of how everything was happening “It was a bit shocking and we didn’t understand many things. Everything was discussed in the meetings we had until five in the morning,” he stressed.
“WE COULD NOT LEAVE JENNI ALONE, WE HAD TO GET STRENGTH FROM WHERE IT WAS”
On the other hand, the FC Barcelona player had kind words for Jenni Hermoso. “We couldn’t leave her alone, we had to draw strength from wherever to fight. As the days went by, the situation has become much more complicated for her. We had to empathize a lot with her and fight so that this would never happen again,” he said. .
“Everything that happened in the following days has had a lot of influence in this situation. After the Assembly it was ‘it’s over’. What could not be allowed is that versions began to be circulated when everyone saw it. We support to our partner to the fullest and we believe in everything she tells us, in things in which we have not been present and in things in which we have,” he continued.
In addition, they insisted that they did not want Hermoso to feel “alone.” “This is what society, other countries and other colleagues are making us feel. It is a complicated situation; as much as we can imagine what Jenni has suffered, especially later, I believe that none, or only the people who unfortunately have experienced something similar, you can understand it. What was in our hands was to support our colleague, report this type of situation, and if it was to open a debate and so that we all feel uncomfortable, perfect,” he clarified.
He also stressed that they were all born in a sexist environment, “but society evolves.” “There are situations in my daily life in which I say ‘oysters’; I analyze it, I realize it and I try to correct it. I am a woman and it happens to me too, but because we have grown up in an environment like that. I don’t understand that suddenly there is so much radicalism. It is a way of learning, of growing as a society, and we must do our part individually and collectively to be a better country,” he explained.
However, he did not want to evaluate the decision of Mapi León and Patri Guijarro to leave the concentration. “I can’t speak for them. My perception is that, as Irene said, we still have to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I think the foundations have been laid for that to happen. Before you were going a little blind. Now I’m calmer because I believe that the foundations have been laid. They have tried to find solutions and a step forward has been taken,” he stated.
In another vein, he assured that they did not ask for the dismissal of Jorge Vilda. “I don’t know why they fired Jorge, the question must be asked to the RFEF. The RFEF has decided. On the street and in the media there are many currents that think like that, stupid, they say many things. The responsibility we had was that of reporting everything that had happened. In the technical section, whether it was valid or not valid, it was not up to us to decide. We conveyed the feelings of the players, to him first, it is normal behavior,” she stressed.
Thus, they have not requested the dismissal of Montse Tomé as coach either. “A lot of things are being said, some of them really stupid. We are professionals and we always have been. When training starts we try to do our best and improve, and when the game starts, too. I think it was seen in Sweden. The conditions “They were what they were, they were extraordinary, but I think there is no doubt that we are professionals and we respect everyone’s work,” she concluded.
2023-09-24 15:05:13
#doesnt #understand #dont #understand
