The football performance is always fantastic, the Spanish women become football world champions. But behind the scenes the grueling battle with the association rages. The fact that the players are now asserting their “Basta” is also a challenge to teams and associations worldwide.
“Se Acabó”, (“Basta”), the Spanish soccer world champions shout figuratively to the world. Before the Nations League games against Sweden and Switzerland, they held corresponding banners up to the camera together with the opposing teams, and they also wore the lettering on tape on their wrists. “Our fight is the global fight” was also written on the banner.
It is a sign of power, defiance, victory – but also a reminder that the fight against encrusted, male-dominated structures worldwide is of course far from over. And it’s a sign that it’s about more than sport. It’s about more than “just” football, which they can concentrate on again just over four weeks after winning the title in Australia.
What they managed to do was win 3-2 against the FIFA world number one from Sweden for their premiere in the Nations League. Then followed the first game on Spanish soil since winning the World Cup title. In Córdoba, not only were Switzerland outclassed 5-0, but a new record was set: 14,100 fans – never before have so many people come to a women’s international match in Spain. The team was celebrated and was allowed to present the trophy again. It was extraordinary.
And yet it was about more than just the game: Because the “Basta” is a loud one. One in which joy, defiance and relief resonate. The evil game with the RFEF association is far from over; it was nerve-wracking and literally robbed the players of sleep because of night-long discussions with each other and negotiations with the RFEF superiors. “You couldn’t just be soccer players,” read one of the many posters in the Estadio Nuevo Arcángel in Córdoba. “Now you are legends.”
Rubiales spoils the World Cup title for players
The players have achieved a victory in a fight against what world footballer Alexia Putellas called “decades of systematic discrimination”. The World Cup was just an interruption – with new bitter highlights. At the award ceremony, the world public saw the self-image with which the association president Luis Rubiales, who has since been fired, is blessed. The kiss he planted on Jennifer Hermoso stopped the praise for Spanish football’s success and instead shifted the perception and reporting to the federation’s rulers. The players were able to bask in their success. The world champions’ historic success was spoiled.
It was one that deserves even greater credit for the fact that it took place even though there was a crash internally. Although some star players such as Mapi Leon and goalkeeper Sandra Panos, both from internationally dominant FC Barcelona, who have won two of the last three Champions League finals, refused to take part. Although 15 revolutionaries have been calling for a more professional environment since September 2022 and, above all, the dismissal of coach Jorge Vilda, who, according to their statements, was psychologically destroying the players. Who, it was said, made her sleep with the doors open so he could check on her and searched her bags. The association vehemently supported Vilda, whose family has long been associated with Rubiales. They are both a thing of the past now, but the team continues to play.
Before the World Cup there were only minor concessions to the players; it seems as if the association wanted to appease them and at the same time report positively about themselves. The team that would win the title traveled to Australia and New Zealand with a nutritionist and a psychologist. The players received a budget of 15,000 euros, which enabled family and friends to visit. It was a truce that lasted just long enough to conquer the world.
Other women’s teams are also fighting
The World Cup title is a remarkable success for the highly praised players. Last year they were considered title candidates in the run-up to the European Championships. Putellas’ cruciate ligament tear just two days before the start apparently shocked the team and they were eliminated in the quarter-finals against the eventual European champions from England. Spain has the U17 and U20 world champions, but the A team had no success. At the previous World Cup in 2019, they were already in the round of 16, and they have never been able to qualify for the Olympic Games. Spain is now the first country to win all three Women’s World Cup titles at the same time.
While their male counterparts are over-present on the world football map, women have not been for a long time. Only since 2021 has there been a full-fledged women’s professional league in the country, which is dominated by FC Barcelona, which attracts the crowds; more than 90,000 people have already come to games at the legendary Camp Nou. And it may also have been due to the association structures, which obviously belittled women. “We all want the same thing: that our profession be respected in the same way that men have been for years,” Putellas told Spanish TV station TUDN. And so they began their long, grueling battle.
A fight that the Americans had waged for three decades and that required numerous football activists – from Julie Foudy to Abby Wambach, Christen Press to Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan. They had their successes as a bargaining chip, four World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, they had on the plus side that they were significantly more successful than the men. They have backed up their “basta” with power, asserted themselves, fought for equal pay and equal treatment, and are role models for other nations.
Before the World Cup, the Irish women publicly complained about poor treatment from their association. They have reached an agreement on equal pay, as have the players from Australia and Norway. The Olympic champions from Canada threatened a strike before the World Cup and were forced to play a test match, while Nigeria and South Africa boycotted games and training sessions. In France, several stars said they would resign from the national team if Corinne Diacre remained as coach – ultimately the federation fired her and hired Hervé Renard.
Meet until 5 a.m
In Spain, however, the association decided to resort to a power struggle after winning the World Cup. At one point it was even said that they were prepared to withdraw completely from European competitions – women, men, clubs – if someone dared to remove Rubiales from office. His mother went on a hunger strike, Hermoso was accused of lying, and false statements in favor of Rubiale were put into her mouth in an association statement.
81 players, including all world champions, went on strike together. Ultimately, coach Vilda was dismissed but only replaced by his assistant Montse Tomé, which wasn’t enough for the players. The association still called them to the training camp before the Nations League games and threatened them with fines and even exclusion from club competitions. Only Hermoso was missing; they declared that they wanted to protect Tomé, which upset and questioned the player herself.
Ultimately, the Spanish government arranged a meeting between the conflicting parties. The players demanded several layoffs for a new start, they asked for fundamental changes in the structures. They were tired of having to fly in the middle of the night or take long bus rides to important games to save money. They demanded the same hiring and decision-making procedures as their male counterparts. “The legacy we want to leave is that they (future players, editor’s note) “We don’t have to worry about these things anymore,” explained Putellas. At the meeting in Oliva, concessions were fought for seven hours until five in the morning. The summit will go down in Spanish football history: “I really believe that it will be seen as a moment of the before and after,” said Putellas.
Investigations against Rubiales and Vilda are ongoing
Newly elected European Footballer of the Year, Aitana Bonmati, said: “The necessary changes are necessary not only on a sporting level, but also on a social level. We want an egalitarian society in which men and women have equal rights. I hope that we “We will never have to experience the situation that we experienced in this camp again.”
She reported on the hopelessness, on being unable to train or play properly, even though they had two important games in front of them in the Nations League, which will decide whether they will take part in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She emphasized the effort: “The feeling that you always have to concentrate on other things and not just be a footballer is quite stressful. We are looking forward to being professional footballers and nothing else.”
The games against Sweden and Switzerland were a first step towards normality. The relationship with Tomé has apparently also settled down. Her removal seems less likely. Bonmati explained: “Everything is fine. We already said that it was a bit strange at the beginning because the draft happened, but things happen and that’s it.” World Cup winning goalscorer Olga Carmona also said about the coaching position: “Yes, we are satisfied.” Tomé himself also commented after the game against Sweden: “I always felt the players’ self-confidence, I see them happy.”
The conflict is not yet completely over, the scandal surrounding Rubiales continues, and Vilda is also under investigation. In addition, the agreement between the players and the association will not be signed until “October 9th or 10th”, according to the well-informed portal “Relevo”. Tomé therefore emphasized: “There are situations that go beyond sports and that I cannot get under control. I want everything to be clarified and I can concentrate on my work.”
This is entirely in the spirit of the team, with which she could then form a real unit for the first time. The next Nations League games are scheduled for the end of October, followed by two away games in Italy (27th) and Switzerland (31st). The opponents should be warned: If the team is already dominating so much, what will it be like when the players can actually just concentrate on football? Then when the fight is really won, when the “Basta” is final.