Spanish football plunged into crisis after 15 players, including 6 Barcelona stars, quit women’s national team
- Move comes after weeks of speculation of divisions in the squad, with Spanish media reporting that some wanted coach Jorge Vilda to be fired
- Defiant Spanish football bosses condemn decision and says it will pick youth players if it has to
Fifteen players have quit the Spanish women’s national team in an “unprecedented” mass resignation, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) has said, coming after weeks of speculation of divisions in the camp.
Spanish media has recently reported that part of the women’s national team wanted coach Jorge Vilda to be sacked.
The RFEF published a statement early on Friday morning (Hong Kong time) saying 15 players had each sent them the same email of resignation.
“They state the current situation generated affects them ‘significantly’ in their ‘emotional state’ and their ‘health’ and that ‘as long as it is not reversed’, they are resigning from the national team of Spain,” the federation announced.
Condemning the players for questioning “the continuity of the national coach”, the federation said it would not “call up players who do not want to wear the Spain shirt”.
“The Federation will only use committed players, even if it means playing with youth players,” it said. “It is an unprecedented situation in the history of soccer, both men’s and women’s, in Spain and worldwide.”
