‘Protect me from what?’ is the question that Spain star Jenni Hermoso has asked new Coach Montse Tome, following the announcement of the first Spain squad since the World Cup.
Included in Tome’s squad were 20 players out of her 23 that belonged to a list of 39, who had signed a statement saying they would not return to action until meaningful changes were made in the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Not feeling those changes have been made, they reiterated their intention not to play, despite facing a potential ban and fines.
Comunicado en relación a los últimos acontecimientos del día de hoy // Official Statement regarding today's latest events #SeAcabó pic.twitter.com/OXMmfyPGz5
— Jenn1 Hermos0 (@Jennihermoso) September 18, 2023
Tome had been asked why she had left Hermoso out of her squad, saying that it was the ‘best way to protect her’ currently. However Hermoso was not willing to let that slide and asked what it was she was being protected from, in a statement released on Twitter several hours later.
Hermoso claims that this is further evidence of the lack of change in the RFEF, their desire to threaten and divide the players demanding change, also giving her support to her colleagues.
The called up players are due at the Spain facilities in Las Rozas at 11:30 CEST, but only a handful are expected to turn up. Spain play Sweden on Friday and Switzerland next Tuesday in the Nations League, with their place in the Paris 2024 Olympics on the line.
Full statement:
Protect me from what?
Let’s be clear: a claim was made today stating that the environment within the federation would be safe for my colleagues to rejoin yet at the same press conference it was announced that they were not calling me as a means to protect me.
Protect me from what? And from whom?
We have searching for weeks – months, even – for protection from the RFEF that never came. The people who now ask us to trust them are the same ones who today disclosed a list of players who have asked NOT to be called up.
The players are certain that this is yet another strategy of division and manipulation to intimidate and threaten us with legal repercussions and economic sanctions. It is yet more irrefutable proof that shows that even today, nothing has changed.
I want to show once again my full support to my colleagues who have been caught by surprise and forced to react to another unfortunate situation caused by people who continue to make decisions within the RFEF.
This is why we are fighting and why we are doing it in this way.
Jenni Hermoso
