Athenea del Castillo, one of the two world soccer champions who have not signed the statement signed by 39 players demanding changes in the structure of the Spanish Federation (RFEF), announced this Friday that she is not contemplating resigning from the national team due to the proximity of the League of Nations and because it considers an important part of its demands "satisfied."
"Given the proximity of the Nations League dispute and taking into account that an important part of our demands have been satisfied, I do not contemplate giving up the call of the National Team (...) We are footballers, we owe it to our profession and we have we have to do our duty," he said in a statement published on his social networks.
Del Castillo has not signed the letter, nor has world champion Claudia Zornoza, who announced hours before her retirement from the Spanish team. It was signed by 21 of her teammates who won the first title for her country at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and eighteen other professional players.
The Real Madrid forward explains in her statement that she "totally agrees" with denouncing "everything that happened" with Jenni Hermoso and also criticizes the "totally out of place and regrettable" behavior of former RFEF president Luis Rubiales after the World Cup final.
"For this reason, I signed a statement along with 80 other footballers in which we condemned the events and in which I stated that I would not go to the National Team if Luis Rubiales continued in his position. After that letter and the subsequent events that we all know, Luis Rubiales and Jorge Vilda are no longer in the RFEF," recalls the Spanish international.
Athenea del Castillo also points out that the changes they demand "have names" and considers that "the best way to provoke them or, at least, initiate them" is from within.
"Of course I consider that (the changes) are necessary, but I am also aware of the situation of total uncertainty that the RFEF is going through, so I want to give a vote of confidence to the people who have taken charge at this moment," adds Del the soccer player, who is clear that the players cannot execute the transformation they demand "because we are not the ones designated for that."
He insists that they have to compete in the League of Nations that can open the door to playing in the Paris Olympic Games. "We are the World Champion Team and we cannot forget it, all the players have spent some horrible weeks after having achieved one of the most important feats in Spanish sport, and I particularly want to go to football, watch football and, above all, play football. football," he concludes.
