Spanish soccer players massively refuse to play under national coach, federation reacts furiously

The players are unhappy with the treatment of injuries, the atmosphere in the locker room, the selection of the squad and the training sessions, according to Reuters.

“It’s a situation that has never happened in the history of world football, the Spanish federation said in a statement. After all, that’s not what it’s about, this kind of Harmful action goes beyond the values ​​of football and sport in general.”

,,The federation will not put any pressure on the players and will no longer select them if they do not want to wear the jersey of Spain. We will play with players who want to, although we have to build a youth team.

Players who emailed are only allowed to play for the national team again if they ‘accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness’. The union called the refusal to attend a “very serious violation which could result in a suspension of two to five years”.

Most of the players who have retired play for FC Barcelona. It is striking that captains Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas and Jenni Hermoso did not send an email. Ballon d’Or winner Putellas also plays for Barca but is currently seriously injured.

Spanish media published the list of players who don’t want to play for Spain:

Ainhoa ​​Moraza, Atlético Madrid defender, international since 2020.
Patri Guijarro, FC Barcelona midfielder, international since 2017.
Leila Ouahabi, Manchester City defender, international since 2016.
Lucía García, Manchester United striker, international since 2018.
Mapi León, FC Barcelona defender, international since 2016.

Ona Batlle, Manchester United defender, international since 2019.
Laia Aleixandri, Manchester City defender, international since 2019.
Claudia Pina, FC Barcelona striker, international since 2021.
Aitana Bonmatí, FC Barcelona midfielder, international since 2017.
Andrea Pereira, defender of America, international since 2016.

Mariona Caldentey, FC Barcelona striker, international since 2017.
Sandra Paños, FC Barcelona goalkeeper, international since 2011.
Lola Gallardo, Atlético Madrid goalkeeper, international since 2013.
Nerea Eizaguirre, Real Sociedad midfielder, international since 2020.
Amaiur Sarriegi, Real Sociedad striker, international since 2021.

The Spaniards will play the next international friendlies on October 7 (Sweden) and October 10 (United States). The team has already qualified for next year’s World Cup.

Earlier this month there were protests in Spanish women’s football by referees who successfully went on strike for higher pay, delaying the start of the new competition by a week.

Find all our videos on Orange here: