A total of fifteen international players have communicated this Thursday to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) their resignation from the national team due to its refusal to remove the current coach, Jorge Vilda, from his position.
The RFEF itself reports in a statement that "throughout today it has received 15 emails from 15 players of the absolute women's soccer team, coincidentally all with the same wording, in which they state that the current situation generated affects them 'in an important way' in their 'emotional state' and in their 'health' and that, 'as long as it is not reversed', they resign from the Spanish national team".
"The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers," he adds.
The Federation emphasizes that "it will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures" and that "this type of maneuver is far from exemplary and outside the values of football and of sport and are harmful".
"According to current Spanish legislation, not attending a national team call is classified as a very serious infraction and can carry sanctions of between two and five years of disqualification," the agency recalls.
"The RFEF, contrary to the way these players act, wants to make it clear that it will not take them to this extreme or put pressure on them. Directly, it will not summon the players who do not want to wear the Spain shirt. The Federation will only have committed footballers even if they have to play with youth players," he stresses.
The federation believes that "this fact has gone from being a sporting issue to a dignity issue. The selection is non-negotiable. It is an unprecedented situation in the history of football, both male and female, in Spain and worldwide."
"The present and future of Spain lies in the potential of the lower categories and of players who this summer have been proclaimed champions of the world under-20 and champions of Europe under-19, in addition to obtaining the sub-championship of Europe under-17 juvenile," he recalls.
The RFEF understands that "the national team needs players committed to the project, with the defense of our colors and proud to wear the Spain shirt. The footballers who have submitted their resignation will only return to the discipline of the national team in the future if they assume their mistake and ask for forgiveness".
For their part, the players are not satisfied with the RFEF statement, according to El Confidencial. In the fifteen emails, the soccer players asked to be absent from the next call, alleging that the current situation of the national team affects "significantly" their "emotional state" and their "health". For this reason, this Friday they plan to raise their voices to clarify their position.
The fifteen players who have taken this step are Ainhoa Vicente, Patri Guijarro, Sandra Paños, Amaiur Sarriegi, Leila Ouahabi, Lucía García, Mapi León, Ona Batlle, Laia Aleixandri, Claudia Pina, Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, Lola Gallardo, Nerea Eizagirre and Andrea Pereira. The absence of Real Madrid players stands out.
