The 15 players who had previously stated that they did not wish to continue wearing the Roja jersey were the only ones that Spain coach Jorge Vilda called to discuss the matter.
The head coach of the Spanish women’s national football team presented a completely new roster on Friday to begin preparations for the 2023 World Cup. This was done even though 15 of the team’s players had previously stated that they did not wish to continue donning the Roja jersey while the coach was in charge.
Jorge Vilda has not included any of the 15 concerned international players on the roster that will face Sweden on October 7 and then the United States four days later. These matches are part of the preparation for the World Cup 2023, which will be hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand. Vilda guaranteed that “wearing the Spain shirt is the greatest honor there is” before announcing the names of the 23 players. The coach is supported by the Spanish Federation despite being involved in an open confrontation with several of his players (RFEF).
Players such as Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon, Sandra Panos, and Aitana Bonmati from Barcelona, Ona Batlle and Lucia Garcia from Manchester United, Leila Ouahabi and Laia Aleixandre from Manchester City, and Aitana Bonmati and Leila Aleixandre from Manchester City are not included on this list. The names of team executives Jennifer Hermoso and Irene Paredes are missing from the list as well. Although they were not one of the 15 rebel players, both of these women have shown their support for the cause.
On Thursday of last week, fifteen Spanish international players announced that they would no longer be donning the renowned red jersey for as long as Vilda remained in office. According to the Federation, the 15 players wrote in an email that the confrontation between them and Vilda had an “essential method” of affecting both “their emotional state” and “their health.”
This decision was criticized not only by Jorge Vilda but also by the Federation, which stated that it did not permit “that the players question the situation of the national coach and the management” because this decision did not fall “within their area of expertise.” Jorge Vilda was the one who initially voiced his opposition to this decision. At the most recent meeting of the Roja, which took place in September, three executives named Irene Paredes, Patri Guijarro, and Jenni Hermoso organized a press conference and acknowledged a “wide malaise” by criticizing Vilda, who has been in office since 2015.
The coach, who took over for Ignacio Quereda and was put under fire by the players following a poor performance at the 2015 World Cup, said that he was “hurt by the manner it’s done” and that he is “a guy who likes conversation and who is always open to communicate.”
