The players finally broke their silence. Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes burst into the press room of the Gamla Ullevi in Göteborg yesterday afternoon. The stage that witnessed FC Barcelona's first Champions League was also witness to a historic speech that transcended women's football: “If our fight can serve any woman who goes through a situation like Jenni [Hermoso], it will have been worth the effort.” shame," said Alexia, who asked for "zero tolerance for people who have hidden, applauded or incited abuse." “For her, for us and for all women. We didn't want to set a precedent. Anything that involves taking a side is taking a position,” she denounced in an emotional and powerful speech.
It was the most anticipated appearance and the national team players chose Alexia and Paredes as spokespersons, a gesture with a high symbolic load. The Blaugrana had been captains of the national team until Jorge Vilda took the armband from them as punishment for challenging him in the 15 o'clock conflict. Yesterday, they showed that they have never stopped being the leaders of this locker room. Their faces betrayed sleepless nights, but his voice sounded firmer than ever. “We want to play football in decent conditions and that has not been possible until now. That is why we are asking for changes, so that the time comes when the players only have to dedicate themselves to playing, not about whether the system works or if it supports them,” Paredes said. The internationals have always kept in mind that they fight for future generations, those whom on Tuesday they decided to protect by remaining in the concentration: “We made the decision to stay, not because we are comfortable, but because we believe that it is what we have to do to guarantee that the agreements we reached are fulfilled and out of responsibility towards the U-23s. If we had not gone, they would surely have called them and it was like passing a bomb to people who have less experience.”
They are exhausted, under stress for many weeks, looking for a way out of the worst crisis in memory not only in Spanish women's football, but in the entire Spanish Federation. “We just want to be footballers, but we had to get it into our heads that this was not possible,” Alexia acknowledged. The players have learned from the mistakes made, especially in communication, a year ago when the 15 o'clock crisis broke out, and yesterday they explained themselves loud and clear. “For many decades there has been systematic discrimination against women. We have had to fight a lot to be heard and that entails wear and tear that we did not want to have,” lamented the Blaugrana midfielder.
The entry of the Higher Sports Council (CSD) was decisive in unblocking the situation, although they consider that they took too long to intervene: “The CSD has entered forcefully, and it is appreciated, but until now we have felt alone. They arrived late and we let them know that,” Paredes acknowledged. That meeting in Oliva (València) is “a before and after.” “Agreements were reached that are important to move forward. We know that there are things that require time, but we took them at their word, they committed to it and the changes are already occurring,” explained Paredes. The first, the dismissal of Andreu Camps as general secretary. But not the last one: “The light at the end of the tunnel is not yet seen. There is much to do". Of course, Alexia insisted that they have never asked for anyone to leave: "We have never asked for any dismissal, it is not our responsibility." “We always face each other. We are fighting for transparent football, we cannot not be transparent.”
Before Alexia and Paredes, coach Montse Tomé appeared in the press room. Her expression of exhaustion and her broken voice reflected the difficult moment that the Asturian was going through, as she was supported in her intervention by her entire coaching staff. She said she felt “supported” by the players and confident: “I don't feel like they don't love me, they haven't told me,” she said. Of course, she acknowledged between the lines that Monday's list was not hers, but rather that of the already dismissed Andreu Camps: “It is something that escapes sports. "These are things that I don't control, that other people manage." And she reiterated her support for the soccer players and Jenni Hermoso: “What my staff and I have always wanted is to protect and help the players. "Being with Jenni, who has had a bad time."
