Three "protestors" included on Spain's women's WC squad list

Barcelona duo Aitana Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey, and Manchester United's Ona Batlle were included, along with two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas - who had not joined the protest - fit again after injury.

Spanish newspaper 'Marca' reported last week 12 of the 15 players had asked to be considered for selection again and were no longer in self-imposed exile after agreements with the Spanish football federation (RFEF) had been reached.

Four Spain and Barcelona stars missing from the list, who were among the protest group, are midfielder Patri Guijarro, defender Mapi Leon, forward Claudia Pina and goalkeeper Sandra Panos.

The quartet won the women's Champions League with their club earlier this month, with Guijarro named player of the match after scoring a brace in the 3-2 win over Wolfsburg.

"I will speak about the players who are here and not the ones who aren't. It's great news Alexia is back and she's played minutes with her club," Vilda told a news conference.

In September the RFEF said 15 players had emailed them to resign from the team because they were concerned with conditions during international call-ups. The players later published a statement on social media, stating they were unhappy with "situations affecting our emotional and personal state" affecting performance and increasing injury risk.

However the RFEF backed Vilda and his staff, who named subsequent squads filled with younger players and others who had not yet been able to establish themselves at international level. Spain have lost just one of the nine games since the protest began, winning seven, including friendly wins over the United States and Norway.

Putellas, who has missed most of the season after sustaining a knee injury with Spain last July ahead of the women's European Championship, returns for the first time since then. While she was not one of the initial 15, she has shown her support for the players and published their statement on her own social media accounts in September.

"We are not rebels. It's exhausting to have to be constantly demanding improvements to help us perform better," said Putellas in March. Vilda's final 23-player squad list will be published on 30th June, ahead of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, which starts on 20th July 20.

 

June 12, 2023