The players of the Spanish women's football team have decided to act. In a joint statement in which the world champions closed ranks with footballer Jennifer Hermoso after Luis Rubiales affirmed this Friday that the kiss he gave her after the World Cup final was consensual, a total of 81 footballers have demanded "structural changes" and announced that they will not respond to any call-up for the national side "if the current leadership continues".
Eighty footballers say enough
A total of 81 footballers have signed this statement, issued through the Futpro players' union. All of them announced that, after the events that occurred at the final of the Women's World Cup in Sydney, they will not return to play for the Spanish national side until the leaders are replaced . The footballers do not point specifically to any person, and although it is implicitly understood that Rubiales is included in this group of "leaders", the doubt remains whether they will also seek the dismissal of the coach, Jorge Vilda, whom Rubiales addressed personally in his non-resignation speech this Friday, proposing to renew his appointment with a salary of half a million euros per year.
The players call on the public authorities to act against Rubiales
The players also transferred their support to Jennifer Hermoso, and the statement specifically includes her first-person accusation that Rubiales lied this Friday when he said that she was the one who lifted the football administrator off the ground and that she then consented to the kiss. The footballers voiced their disgust that Hermoso had to speak out to deny the words of the RFEF president in the face of "the forceful images that everyone has seen" and expressed their "rotund condemnation of conduct that is an attack on the dignity of women". Consequently, they have demanded "forceful responses from the public authorities" so that actions like those of Rubiales "do not go unpunished".
🔴 Barça players link Rubiales affair to Spanish team's deep management problems
These are the 81 signatories of the statement, which includes the Spanish World Champion players: Jennifer Hermoso, Alexia Putellas, Misa Rodríguez, Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Mariona Caldentey, Teresa Abelleira, María Pérez; Cata Coll, Aitana Bonmatí, Laia Codina, Claudia Zornoza, Oihane Hernández, Rocío Gálvez, Irene Guerrero, Alba Redondo, Athenea del Castillo, Eva Navarro, Enith Salón, Ivana Andrés, Olga Carmona, Esther González, Salma Paralluelo. And also, many other players: lene Lete, Fiamma Benítez, Marta Cardona, Maite Oroz, Patricia Guijarro, Lola Gallardo, Nerea Eizagirre, Ainhoa Moraza, Maria León "Mapi", Sandra Paños, Claudia Pina, Amaiur Sarriegi, Leila Ouahabi, Laia Aleixandri, Lucia García, Andrea Pereira, Vero Boquete, Ainhoa Tirapu, Sandra Vilanova, Ana Romero "Willy", Silvia Meseguer, Nagore Calderón, Marta Torrejón, Lucía Rodríguez, Vicky Losada, Carmen Arce "Kubalita", Priscila Borja, Natalia Pablos, Susana Guerrero, Larraitz Lucas, Isabel Benito "Chabe"; Amanda Sampedro, Isabel Fuentes, Elisabet Sánchez, Mari Paz Azagra, Vanesa Gimbert, Virginia Torrecilla, Leire Landa, Elisabet Ibarra, Isi Gavilán "Isi", Toña Is, Meli Nicolau, Gurutze Fernández, Auxi Jiménez, Vanesa Moreno "Vane", Roser Serra, Marta Moreno, Eli Capa, Maria Teresa Andreu, Mar Prieto, María José Pérez, María Marco "Beni", Paula Kasares, María Luia Monzón "Gusa", Ninas Pérez Urda "Quilla", Angela Martin Martín, Victoria Hernandez.
Official moves to remove Rubiales
Meanwhile, the pressure from many parts of Spanish society which, before this Friday's RFEF meeting, seemed to have achieved Luis Rubiales' resignation, has redoubled the pressure since he bizarrely chose to go down a "rogue" path. The head of the Spanish football federation faces a series of legal complaints, demands from political leaders that he leave his post, resignations within the organization he leads, and an inquiry from FIFA.
The Spanish government, through the country's Higher Sports Council (CSD), has denounced Luis Rubiales before the country's sports administrative tribunal (TAD) and will request that he be suspended from his duties as president of the RFEF as soon as possible. This was announced on Friday by Víctor Francos, president of the CSD, in a press conference. He asserted that, following Rubiales' refusal to resign, he will file a complaint with the sports tribunal for a "very serious offence" with the aim of suspending the head of the sports institution from his responsibilities.