The players of the Spanish women’s national football team have received a lot of support in the past month after the abuse of the players came to the fore after the World Cup final.
Head coach of the French women’s national team Hervé Renard swim against the tide this week though.
The French newspaper L’Equipe asked Renardwhat she thinks about the crisis in Spain and whether it could be good for women’s football.
– I’m only interested in football. The rest makes me tired. I’m not even aware. I don’t even read this kind of information, although I understand that there are things… I am focused and I like football. The rest is not my responsibility, Renard stated before France faced Portugal in the League of Nations.
The problems of the Spanish women’s national team have been in the headlines for a year now, the head coach Jorge Vildan because of the coaching methods, but the problems surfaced more widely after the events of the World Cup final.
The president of the Spanish Football Association at the World Cup gold ceremonies Luis Rubiales took the star player Jennifer Hermosoa face and kissed her on the mouth.
First, the Spanish coaching staff resigned, and later Rubiales also agreed to resign. The Spanish Football Federation supported Vilda and Rubiales for a long time.
The latest uproar arose this week when most of the players in Spain’s squad were named against Sweden against their will.
Renard’s exit was widely admired on social media. For example, the long-time goalkeeper of the Swedish national team Hedvig Lindahl reacted strongly to Renard’s words.
– Oh, how we wish this was a reality, Lindahl wrote quickly in the message service X.
A strong stand for Spain in Sweden
There was a strong show of support for the Spanish players in Sweden when Sweden and Spain finally met on Friday in the Nations League match in Gothenburg.
Sweden and Spain brought a sheet to the field, which stated in Spanish “enough is enough” and in English “our fight is an international fight”, referring to the injustices experienced by women around the world.
The players received a standing ovation for their stance at Vanhalla Ullev Stadium in Gothenburg.
“This is enough” texts were also on the arms of the players during the match. Swedish players told Expressen after the matchhow they had told of their desire to support the Spanish.
The idea of the form of the statement had come from the Spanish team. The Swedes had wanted to stand behind it.
– Sexual abuse is a social issue. It has to end. The whole world supports them (the Spanish). I personally feel proud that the Spanish players are defending themselves for a better future, Sweden star Kosovare Asllani described the situation According to Aftonbladet even before the match.
The Spanish players were grateful for the support after the match.
– I think the Swedish national team is exemplary in many ways. Not only on the field, but also when it comes to social issues, culture and working as a team. We are truly grateful. This is everyone’s fight, Marion Caldentey said.
In the middle of the match, there was yet another piece of news from the Spanish Football Association. Vice-President of the Spanish Federation Miguel García Caba got fired in the middle of the Sweden match. According to Spanish media, Caba was responsible for the internal investigation of the union after the Rubiales kiss. The investigation concluded that Rubiales had done nothing wrong.
The Swedish star got fired up and sent direct words to the big bosses
The match between Spain and Sweden also turned out to be really dramatic on the field. Spain won the match 3–2 when Caldentey converted a penalty kick in the sixth minute of extra time.
A moment before that Amanda Ilestedt had knocked down in the penalty area Amaiur Sarriegi and got a red card. However, it caused repercussions. For example, an expert from SVT Hanna Marklund considered the penalty to be light.
Sweden and Spain play in the Nations League at the highest level in the A-League. The stakes are really high on the top rung, as the winners of each of the four groups in the A-League advance to the final tournament of the Nations League. The final teams qualify for the Paris Olympics. The third best team can reach the Olympics if France reaches the Nations League final.
In any case, Friday’s match between the reigning world champion and the world number one was like one Olympic qualifying game. Sweden’s star player Asllani let it burn in the Swedish media after the match. He was surprised why VAR, i.e. the video review system, was not used in the match that was compared to the Olympic qualification.
– We live in such a reality. We have to fight these kinds of battles all the time. We fight against unions all the time. Can’t people just make decisions or does everyone have to boycott in order to make the right decisions? I’m really bored, Asllani said according to Aftonbladet.
– As if a strike was required in order to make rational decisions. There are no rational people higher up who can make smart decisions.
Asllani also reminded how there are more men’s teams than women’s in Olympic football. Next year, 16 men’s teams will be admitted to Paris, while 12 for women’s. He also reminded that there are fewer cameras available for VAR checks in women’s matches than in men’s matches.
Asllani says she is frustrated with how women have to constantly fight for change to happen.
– Football is so unequal. Repeatedly frustrating. I would like equal football. This is far from it. I don’t understand what the problem is, Asllani uploaded.
Asllani stated that he would like to see changes in the leadership of the various unions.
– I would like to clean up all the federations, both (International Football Confederation) Fifa and (European Football Confederation) Uefa. It would be nice. Can we see how many women are in leadership positions? There aren’t many. That should change. Do all national teams have to go on strike or what is required for equal football?
Asllani clarified even later that his thoughts also apply to the Swedish Football Association.
– We talk about getting more women into positions of power in Spain, but how many women do we have?