\n<\/p>\n
Spain unveiled its roster on Monday for the first two matches of the women\u2019s national team since the team\u2019s World Cup win \u2014 and a postgame kiss that plunged women\u2019s soccer into turmoil.<\/p>\n
Many of the players chosen to play for Spain, however, have made it clear over the last few weeks that they are unwilling to do so unless management changes are made at the soccer federation. But only eight of the World Cup winners were left off Monday\u2019s roster, including three who are injured, one who has retired \u2014 and Jennifer Hermoso, the star player who was forcibly kissed by the man who was Spain\u2019s top soccer executive at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are with Jenni. We believe it\u2019s the best way to protect her,\u201d said the new coach, Montse Tom\u00e9, at a Royal Spanish Football Federation news conference, when she was asked why Ms. Hermoso had not been chosen to play in the UEFA Nations League, which is the qualifier for European teams in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Ms. Hermoso filed a criminal complaint of sexual assault against the former soccer chief, Luis Rubiales, after he kissed her during the World Cup medals ceremony in Sydney, Australia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The decision by Ms. Tom\u00e9 to exclude Ms. Hermoso comes amid a high-stakes standoff between Spain\u2019s star players and the national soccer federation.<\/p>\n
In August, after its World Cup win, the team, including the players who were on Ms. Tom\u00e9\u2019s roster on Monday, demanded changes to management and threatened not to play if changes were not made.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Ms. Hermoso and 20 of the 23 winning team members signed a joint statement with other Spanish players saying \u201cit is time to fight\u201d and reinstating their demands<\/a> for a restructuring of \u201cthe leadership positions of the Royal Spanish Football Federation\u201d to guarantee a \u201csafe place where women are respected.\u201d But they did not explicitly threaten not to play.<\/p>\n By Monday night, with their demands as yet unmet, it was not clear if all the players on Ms. Tom\u00e9\u2019s roster would agree to play or if they would boycott the matches, against Sweden and Switzerland that begin on Friday, in support of Ms. Hermoso.<\/p>\n If they decide not to play, they could face consequences, including fines or temporary bans, according to the National Sports Council.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI trust they are professional world champions and they love their profession,\u201d Ms. Tom\u00e9 said, adding that she had talked with the players over the last few days.<\/p>\n In a statement posted on social media<\/a> on Monday night, the women\u2019s players\u2019 union, Futpro, said that the joint statement players issued on Friday made clear, \u201cwith no room for misinterpretation, our firm wishes not to be called up, for reasons that are justified.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe regret that our federation puts us in a situation that we would never have wanted,\u201d Monday\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n Minutes later, A.F.E., Spain\u2019s chief players\u2019 union, also issued a statement<\/a>, declaring its \u201castonishment at the lack of dialogue by the Royal Spanish Football Association regarding the majority position of the players who have been called up based on arguments that should be respected.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivana Andr\u00e9s, one of the captains of the World Cup team, is currently suffering from a sports injury. She is one of the champions who are not on Ms. Tom\u00e9\u2019s roster. In a televised interview on Monday evening, Ms. Andr\u00e9s said, \u201cThe most important thing is that we want to play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But \u201cwe want them to treat us with respect,\u201d she added, referring to the federation.<\/p>\n Then, the president of Spain\u2019s state-run National Sports Council, V\u00edctor Francos, weighed in, saying on a late night radio show on Monday night that \u201cif the players don\u2019t show up, the government must apply the law,\u201d in reference to the sanctions the players could face. Mr. Francos added, \u201cTomorrow at 8:30 a.m., I will call some of the players and speak with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Some Spaniards also expressed dismay at the roster, including a well-known politician. \u201cIt\u2019s not a call-up. It\u2019s a threat,\u201d said Gabriel Rufi\u00e1n, a member of Parliament with a pro-Catalan independence party.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A Swiss player, Ana-Maria Crnogor\u010devi\u0107, who currently plays for the Spanish team Atl\u00e9tico de Madrid, also shared her disbelief on social media. \u201cThis is insane,\u201d she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Both the players and the federation have a lot to lose if Ms. Tom\u00e9 cannot rally together a team in time for Friday\u2019s match in Sweden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The sports commentator Guillem Balagu\u00e9 explained that Spain will jeopardize its Olympic ticket if the players boycott the match against Sweden. Only \u201cthe two finalists of the Nations League will, together with the French squad, be in Paris 2024,\u201d Mr. Balagu\u00e9 said.<\/p>\n Over the last month, the federation has taken some measures to address the concerns of its star players. They urged Mr. Rubiales to resign, which he did. He appeared in court on Friday in connection with the sexual assault allegations filed by Ms. Hermoso. A restraining order was subsequently issued against him, forbidding contact with Ms. Hermoso. Jorge Vilda, the coach of the national team, was fired earlier this month<\/a>. He had been accused last year of controlling and sexist behavior by team members.<\/p>\n On Monday morning, the federation said in a statement that it guarantees a \u201csafe environment for the players\u201d and is committed to making changes within the organization. But it did not specify details of the changes it intends to make or a time frame.<\/p>\n Though Ms. Tom\u00e9 has replaced Mr. Vilda, becoming the first woman to hold the top job in Spain, her appointment is not without controversy. Ms. Tom\u00e9 came under criticism when she participated in a standing ovation for Mr. Rubiales on Aug. 25, following a defiant speech in which he accused Ms. Hermoso of initiating the kiss and railed against \u201cfalse feminism.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The statement issued by the players on Friday called for \u201czero tolerance\u201d toward members of the federation who have \u201chad, incited, hidden or applauded attitudes against the dignity of women.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have done it,\u201d Ms. Tom\u00e9 said of her participation on Monday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n