Spanish Women's Soccer Sexual Harassment Victim Excluded from National Team Roster... Players Protest

Excluded from Sexual Assault Victims List for Protection Reasons
"What Exactly Are You Protecting Me From?" Controversy Spreads

The Spanish women's national football team, which has been thrown into turmoil by a sexual harassment scandal, is facing deeper conflict as the team announced the roster despite a player boycott. The exclusion of even the sexual harassment victim from the roster has further provoked the players, raising concerns about inevitable weakening of the team ahead of the A-match friendly.

On the 20th of last month (local time), Jennifer Hermoso (left in the photo) was playing in the 2023 Australia-New Zealand Women's World Cup final.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to BBC, Montserrat Tom?, head coach of the Spanish women's national football team, pushed ahead with the announcement of the squad on the 18th (local time). Tom? is the successor to Jorge Vilda, who was dismissed along with Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation, who caused controversy by forcibly kissing a player at last month's FIFA Women's World Cup awards ceremony. Tom?, who was Vilda's chief manager, became the first female coach in the history of the Spanish women's national football team.

Tom?'s announcement came three days after the women's national team players declared they would continue their boycott, which began as a call for Rubiales' resignation. On the 15th, the players stated that women still do not feel respected or safe, demanding a reorganization of the leadership of the Spanish Football Federation, including changes to the national team staff and specific departments within the federation. A total of 39 players participated in the boycott, including 21 of the 23 players who took part in the World Cup.

Despite the boycott announcement, Tom?'s decision to proceed with the squad announcement sparked strong backlash from the players. According to Spanish regulations, players who do not participate in matches after the squad announcement may face penalties such as fines or temporary suspensions. Of the 21 World Cup-winning members who issued the boycott statement, 15 were included in the squad announced by Tom? on that day.

Following Tom?'s announcement, the players issued another joint statement reaffirming their intention to continue the boycott. In the statement, they said, "We will legally challenge the federation's inclusion of us in the squad despite our prior declaration of non-participation," adding, "We regret that the federation has put us in a situation where we are not wanted."

On the 18th (local time), Montserrat Tom?, head coach of the Spain women's national football team (left in the photo), and Pedro Rocha, acting president of the Spanish Football Association [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The controversy deepened as Jennifer Hermoso, the player who was forcibly kissed by former federation president Rubiales, was excluded from the squad. Tom? explained the exclusion by saying, "We stand with Jeni," and "We believe this is the best way to protect her," but the players remain unconvinced.

Hermoso strongly protested by posting a statement titled "What am I being protected from?" on her social media. She criticized, "The squad announcement is an attempt by the federation to intimidate and threaten the players from the World Cup victory, using legal and financial sanctions to threaten, manipulate, and divide us."

As the players remain steadfast in their refusal to join the squad, the Spanish women's national team's September A-match friendlies are inevitably heading towards disruption. Spain is scheduled to play against Sweden on the 22nd and Switzerland on the 26th in the UEFA Women's Nations League group stage matches.

Coach Tom? pleaded for the players' return, saying, "A new phase has begun, and time is passing. I have no other intention. I sincerely want to be with the players."

The New York Times (NYT) reported that if Tom? fails to assemble the team in time for the Sweden match, both the players and the federation stand to lose a lot. Sports commentator Guillem Balagu? said, "If the players do not participate in the Sweden match, securing a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics could become difficult, as only the teams reaching the Nations League finals will qualify for the Paris Olympics."

Earlier, Spain won the 2023 Australia-New Zealand Women's World Cup, but former president Rubiales caused a major controversy by forcibly kissing Hermoso during the victory ceremony, leading to his resignation. Before stepping down, Rubiales was suspended from duty for 90 days by FIFA. The Spanish prosecution investigated the incident, and recently, a Spanish court issued a restraining order against Rubiales, prohibiting him from approaching Hermoso.