Spain’s star player has been absent from national team activities since the events following the World Cup final. Spain’s head coach Montse Tome now invited Hermoso to the group playing in the League of Nations.
Spanish soccer player Jennifer Hermoso has been chosen for the first time in the national team after the kissing scandal that rocked the football world at the end of the summer.
Hermoso is with Spain’s new head coach Montse Tomen in the selected group, which will face Italy and Switzerland in its next Nations League matches. He was not selected for the first matches of the Nations League in September.
At the time, Tome justified the exclusion of an experienced star player by protecting the player. Tome also selected several players for the team who had previously announced that they would refuse to represent the national team in order to support Hermoso.
Tome chose, among other things, a star player Alexia Putellas and 14 other world champions to the team. The head coach claimed that he discussed the national team selections with the players in advance.
– I trust that these players are professionals. They have just become world champions, they love their national team and I know they will be here (with the team) tomorrow, Tome said below the start of the Nations League.
Hermoso himself accused the Spanish Football Federation of threats and intimidation at the time, seeing everything as contradictory behavior.
– The environment is said to be safe for my colleagues, but at the same time they don’t invite me to the team to protect me, Hermoso wrote on the messaging service X.
– The players are sure that this is yet another means of division and manipulation, with which we are intimidated and threatened with legal and financial consequences, Hermoso described the national team invitations, considering them a tool of the union’s use of power.
This is how the commotion has progressed
Hermoso was part of the national team that won the World Championship gold at the end of August.
Former president of the Spanish Football Association Luis Rubiales unexpectedly kissed Hermoso on the mouth after the World Cup final won by Spain while handing out medals to the players. Hermoso announced four days later that he had filed a criminal complaint against Rubiales.
Rubiales, who was the chairman at the time, announced that the kiss was consensual, which Hermoso immediately denied. Rubiales announced that he will not resign from his post. The separation, however, came to light later, before the Spanish prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into Rubiales’ act and the international football association Fifa suspended him for 90 days.
Also the head coach of the World Cup gold team Jorge Vilda was fired at the beginning of September, after supporting Rubiales in the case.
After the incident, numerous players expressed their support for Hermoso and refused to represent the Spanish national team. A total of 39 players announced their refusal in mid-September. In their statements, the striking players have demanded changes to the operating culture of the Spanish Football Association.
It is not yet known whether Hermoso will represent Spain after receiving the call-up to the national team. National team players can face severe consequences if they do not participate in national team activities.
According to the Spanish sports law, players may have to pay fines of around 30,000 euros if they refuse to participate in national team activities without, for example, an injury. Refusal can also result in a ban from representing the national team for several years.