The Spanish women’s national soccer team is having a blast. The 15 players, who no longer want to be called up to the team because of coach Jorge Vilda, will be supported by record goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso.
The Spanish record goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso has sided with the 15 “rebels” who, due to their bad relationship with coach Jorge Vilda, do not want to be called up to the national soccer team for the time being. “I want to publicly express my unconditional support for my teammates,” wrote the 32-year-old, who was previously the team’s captain, on social media.
This means that the front against Vilda has a prominent name richer – Hermoso is not only the top scorer in Spain (46 goals), but also for the successful club FC Barcelona. She is currently playing for CF Pachuca in Mexico, having missed the European Championships in the summer due to an injury. Without them and world footballer Alexia Putellas, the Spaniards were already eliminated in the quarter-finals against the eventual European champions from England.
“Not only do I understand the reasons, but I have experienced many of these feelings,” Hermoso continued. The 15 players had previously stated that the current situation under Vilda is affecting them “significantly” in their “emotional state” and “health”.
The Spanish FA reacted angrily to the comments, saying that they “do not allow the players to question the situation of the national team coach and the coaching staff, as this decision does not fall within their competence”. The association initially interpreted the protest as a resignation from the national team, but the players disagreed. “In no way have we announced our retirement from the Spanish national team, as the RFEF claims in its official statement. As we have reiterated in our private communications (to the federation), we are fully committed to the Spanish national team,” the news agency Europa Press quoted a message from the players.
They also never asked for the coach to be fired. It was regrettable that the association had made “private communications public in an intentionally shortened form”, the players had criticized.
