Three of the 15 Spain players who staged a mutiny, writing to the federation to declare themselves unavailable for selection, have returned to the squad in time for the World Cup.
The Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas has also been included in the preliminary list of 30 for Australia and New Zealand having finally overcome the knee injury that forced her to miss the European Championship last summer, as has Irene Paredes who first returned to the national team after a seven-month absence in March. Neither Putellas nor Paredes had sent the letter but both supported those who had.
Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona and Manchester United’s Ona Batlle have been included in the initial squad, which will be reduced to 23 at the end of June. They had all previously spoken to the federation about a return. The other 12 players who pulled out in September last year – among them the Champions League winners Patri Guijarro, Mapi León and Sandra Paños – have not been called up. In March, León said: “It will really piss me off not to go to the World Cup but my values come first.”
The Spain coach, Jorge Vilda, gave no explanation for their continued absence and refused to discuss the conversations that have taken place over the past nine months or confirm whether the returnees had apologised, but described the squad as being made up of those who are “committed”.
Vilda said he would not get into “hypothesis” over who he would have selected had they all been available, saying he decided once he had “all the cards on the table”. He also insisted that the federation had been “open to dialogue” and declared the issue was “practically resolved”, although he admitted “a few details” remained.
The 15 players simultaneously sent identical letters to the federation in September last year, insisting that the situation within the national team had affected their health and mental state and they would not return until there was a solution.
Goalkeepers: Cata Coll, Elene Lete, Misa Rodríguez, Enith Salón.
Defenders: Ivana Andrés, Ona Batlle, Olga Carmona, Laia Codina, Jana Fernández, Rocío Gálvez, Sheila García, Oihane Hernández, Irene Paredes.
Midfielders: Tere Abelleira, Fiamma Benítez, Aitana Bonmatí, Irene Guerrero, Jenni Hermoso, Maite Oroz, María Pérez, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Zornoza.
Forwards: Mariona Caldentey, Marta Cardona, Athenea del Castillo, Inma Gabarro, Esther González, Eva Navarro, Salma Paralluelo, Alba Redondo.
They had hoped for the removal of Vilda but a statement from the federation described the mutiny as “unprecedented” and vowed “not [to] allow players to question the continuity of the coach”. It warned: “The players who have presented their resignation will only return in the future if they admit their error and apologise.”
Putellas, who was injured at the time, did not send the letter. Nor did Paredes, although as captain she had been the spokesperson for tense discussions with the federation three weeks earlier. She denied then that the players had demanded that Vilda be removed but went seven months without being called up.
Asked about discussions with those who had returned and those who had not, Vilda insisted: “Honestly, I don’t think that is what matters; what matters is that they are here, which means they are committed to the national team and they can compete at the World Cup. I don’t want to talk about that process.”
“There have been conversations but those will remain private as always,” he said. “These are the decisions that have been taken. Some [of the 15] are here and I am convinced they will work to be part of the group and that they will fight for the biggest thing there is in sport, which is to represent for your country. The 30 who come are sportspeople and they want to build a strong group, they want the best players alongside them. Living sport unites you. I am convinced there will be concordance, calm and harmony.
“Since September, things have happened but one of the best things that has happened is that 11 games were played, we won nine, drew one and lost one. We beat the US for the first time, got to sixth in the world ranking, which allowed us to be seeds for this tournament and we want to climb higher – which I am convinced we can with these players. It is absurd to think about what is behind us when what is in front of is so, so important. We won’t waste our energy on that.”
