(Madrid) Spanish players Mapi Leon and Patri Guijarro announced on Wednesday that they were leaving the training camp of the women’s national team, despite the agreement reached with the government and the Federation to end the strike of a part of the group.
These departures took place after hours of meetings between the players, the Spanish Federation and the president of the Superior Sports Council (CSD), Victor Francos, to try to end the crisis.
In the early morning, the latter announced that a series of agreements had been concluded with the players, adding that only two of the 23 summoned for the Nations League matches had asked to leave, without naming them.
Francos clarified that there would be no sanctions against them, after warning the striking world champions on Tuesday that they risked being sanctioned if they refused their summons.
“The players have expressed their concern to us about the need to make profound changes within the RFEF and the Federation is committed to ensuring that these changes take place immediately,” explained Francos, also secretary of the RFEF. State for sports.
Questioned in New York, where he is participating in the UN General Assembly, Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez estimated that the RFEF must “carry out a series of changes”, both “requested by the players” and “supported by the vast majority of the Spanish population”.
Leon and Guijarro have been protesting for months against the dysfunctions of Spanish women’s football, well before the World Cup, in which they did not participate.
As early as last September, the two Barça players were among the 15 internationals who took part in a first strike targeting the then coach, Jorge Vilda. Unlike some of their teammates, they did not change positions before the World Cup.
Leon and Guijarro are the only two players called up by coach Montse Tomé to have left the group for the moment.
“It’s true that the situation for me and Patri is different from the rest of our teammates, we knew it was not the right way to come back,” Mapi Leon told the media as she left a hotel from Oliva, near Valencia.
“We are satisfied because things are changing and we fully support our teammates in this process,” added the FC Barcelona defender.
“It’s very difficult and very hard, personally, to be here, that’s obvious. Mentally we are in no condition to be here,” Patri Guijarro told the press.
Leon was replaced on Wednesday by Valencia player Claudia Florentino, while the name of Guijarro’s replacement is not yet known.
The new coach of Spain, Montse Tomé, created a surprise on Monday by summoning Guijarro and Leon for the first time in several months for the Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland, as well as around fifteen champions of the world who had asked not to be selected until a total overhaul of Spanish football authorities took place.
The resignation of the former president of the Federation Luis Rubiales after his forced kiss imposed on No.10 Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony of the world champions in Sydney, and the dismissal of coach Jorge Vilda, whose methods they contested , are according to them insufficient.
Dismissed by Tomé “to protect her”, Hermoso accused the Spanish federation on Tuesday of “intimidating and threatening” the world champions by summoning them against their will.
The double Ballon d’Or Alexia Putellas and the 18 other signatories of the initial press release published Friday repeating that they would not return to the selection ended up agreeing on Wednesday to honor their summons, following the agreement with the Federation and the government, who promise “immediate changes”.
According to the Spanish press, one of these changes could be the departure of secretary general Andreu Camps, considered close to Rubiales.
Spain is due to face Sweden on Friday and Switzerland on September 26 in the Nations League, a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and plans to fly to Gothenburg on Thursday.
