Strike ended? 15 world champions in Spain’s squad

15 players from the world champion team were nominated on Monday by the new team boss Montse Tomé for the Nations League games on Friday in Sweden and on Tuesday at home against Switzerland. Tomé said she spoke to the players before the squad was announced. However, the kickers declared in the evening that the strike was not yet over.

The national team’s revolt was triggered by the kissing scandal involving the head of the Spanish Football Association, Luis Rubiales, and ultimately led to his resignation. Meanwhile, the player affected by the kiss, Jennifer Hermoso, was not called up. The 33-year-old was kissed on the mouth by Rubiales at the award ceremony after Spain’s final triumph over England on August 20 in Sydney. Regarding the reasons for not nominating Hermoso, Tomé said that they wanted to “protect” her.

The players had recently called for the resignation of other officials. As far as is known, this request had not been complied with as of Monday. However, the RFEF published a communiqué in which it was emphasized: “We guarantee the players a safe environment and are committed to a climate of mutual trust in order to work together to ensure that women’s football develops even stronger in the future.”

The athletes now declared in a joint statement that they would still resist being called up to the national team. They want to make the “best decision” for their own future and health after examining the legal consequences that a rejection of the call-up could have.