Zoff about squad nomination
Hermoso is outraged by “manipulation” and “division”
September 19, 2023, 10:28 a.m
15 striking players will be called up to the Spanish football squad for the upcoming games in the Nations League. But they don’t want to play at all. Jennifer Hermoso, however, is not nominated. She cannot understand the reason for this.
In the escalated dispute over Spain’s soccer world champions, Jennifer Hermoso also spoke out and accused the RFEF association of “division” and “manipulation”. On Monday he appointed 15 of the striking players to the squad for the upcoming Nations League games, without successful consultation with them.
“The players are sure that this is another strategy of division and manipulation to intimidate us, threaten us with legal consequences and financial penalties,” wrote Hermoso on Tuesday night on X, formerly Twitter. Late on Monday evening, the players refused to be nominated and threatened to sue.
Hermoso herself is missing from the squad, according to the association for her own protection. “The way to help her is to take care of her. We believe that this is the best way to protect her. We count on Jenni, I have been working with her for five years. We have played together as teammates,” said the new national coach Montse Tomé. After winning the World Cup final in Sydney, Hermoso was kissed on the mouth by the now resigned Spanish association president Luis Rubiales without her consent at the award ceremony.
“What should I be protected from? And from whom?” wrote the 33-year-old. There has never been any protection from the association in the past. The nomination of the players who had expressly asked not to be appointed is now “further proof that nothing has changed”.
“I would like to once again express my full support for my colleagues who are now once again forced to respond to an unfortunate situation,” Hermoso continued. This was “triggered by the people who continue to make the decisions in the RFEF.”
Just last Friday, the players declared their boycott in an open letter. On Monday, Tomé, successor to the dismissed Jorge Vilda, nominated, among others, two-time world footballer Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati and Olga Carmona for the upcoming games against Sweden on Friday and Switzerland on Tuesday next week. The players emphasized that the nomination violated the procedural rules of the world association FIFA. Accordingly, athletes would have to be informed in writing at least 15 days before the nomination.
There is a risk of fines and suspensions
The president of the highest Spanish sports authority CSD, Víctor Francos, has now announced an attempt at mediation, but at the same time warned the striking footballers of legal consequences. “Tomorrow morning I will call a number of people from the national team to talk to them. I think there is a point where the government has to intervene; not everything is allowed,” he told El Larguero radio station on Monday evening. “If the players don’t compete, I’m sorry, the government must act and enforce the law,” he warned.
According to Spanish sports law, refusing to compete despite being nominated is a particularly serious offense. It can result in fines of between 3,000 and 30,000 euros and bans of between 2 and 15 years. Francos emphasized that the government was on the side of the players and was not interested in punishing them. “We will tell the players that we will do whatever is necessary to solve the problem, but we ask them to go to the Games. We want them to become Olympic champions,” he said.