There was a spectacular sun this Sunday during the training of the Spanish team in the Luis del Sol sports city of Betis in Seville. The members of the national team, who will face Switzerland on Tuesday in Córdoba (9 p.m., La 2 on RTVE), had almost a holiday on Saturday in which they received the affection of the Sevillians. “A lady accompanied us on the walk and told us her example. “He moved us because he thanked us for our fight and for achieving a better society,” explained this Sunday Alexia Putellas, the captain and leader of Spain and one of the six players in an improvised mixed zone right next to it appeared in the media field. Main building of the Betic facilities where they had trained. Alexia, leader of the group together with Irene Paredes, was very emphatic: “I think everything is clear. Zero tolerance for anything the world saw. And zero tolerance for what is not allowed to be talked about and what happened. Women’s football was not on the priority list in the federal structures. For example, when we were preparing for qualifying for the European Championships, if it was a Thursday, we trained on a Wednesday and got on the plane at three in the morning. There must be elite schedules. We depend on many things. It was neither coherent nor normal to get up at three in the morning and fight for a place in a European Cup the next day,” Alexia clarified.
“The meeting was a turning point. We are better,” added the captain of the Spanish team, rebelling against the possibility that her message will not be understood by society. “If you don’t understand us, you don’t want to understand us. We have spoken, we have made statements. We are the first to want to be in the Spanish team. The problem is that we wanted zero tolerance and certain behaviors to come first. We believe the system has failed. The Federation failed and the country failed. “We explained what we felt and what was not seen,” clarified Alexia, who also made it clear that the players do not replace or replace the national coaches.
“I don’t know why they fired Jorge. [Vilda]. The federal government has decided. A lot is said on the street and in the media. We convey the players’ feelings. The first for him. We transferred everything to the Federation and decisions were made from there,” he stressed. Alexia also referred to the colleagues who left the concentration, Mapi León and Patri Guijarro. “Mapi and Patri? I can’t speak for them. In my opinion, we have yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I think the foundation for this has been laid. “I’m calmer now,” she said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Jenni. We have known her for many years and know what she is like. We couldn’t leave her alone and had to find strength wherever we could. I found myself in a complicated situation and over time it got worse. We had to empathize with them and have the strength and energy to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again,” he concluded.
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The lead role of Alexia was supported by Irene Paredes. Paredes was more serious than Alexia but just as energetic, regretting that there were some sectors of society that still did not understand her message. “We said everything very clearly. We have communicated a number of concerns to the Federation. Anyone who doesn’t want to understand it means they don’t want it. We cannot give all the details or name people as this is an open court case. We simply cannot tolerate what happened. We were treated like children and we are all adults,” Paredes said. “It was a difficult concentration. We didn’t want to come, but there were meetings and we were listened to. The thing is, all of us who are here have felt similar harassment, more or less, and we are all identified,” she stressed. “I don’t appreciate the dismissal of Jorge Vilda, it was a decision of the federation,” he added.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Athenea del Castillo has maturely explained why she did not leave the national team when she was first called up. “There is freedom of expression here. The opinion of each of us is respected and I made it clear to my teammates that I cannot give up on the national team. I support Jenni, but giving up playing for Spain was not in my plans. For me this is very important,” he clarified. “I never felt left out. Not alone. My people supported me. “My colleagues understood me,” she added. And her companions were also questioned about Athenea’s decision. “Did you see how we celebrated the goals against Sweden? Everyone united,” said Irene Paredes. Amidst a row of microphones, Alexia also spoke on the subject: “We respected Athenea’s opinion from the beginning. Because he also did one thing very well. He told us quickly and straight to our faces. That will be respected.”
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