The blaugrana Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatà and Mariona Caldentey, as well as Ona Batlle (Manchester United), return to the national team. Nine months after the pulse that the players had with the Federation, to which they demanded a more professional structure, four soccer players return to a call. Patri Guijarro, Mapi León and Claudia Pina did not do it of their own free will, as they consider that the changes are not enough and remain out of the national team.
Nor is Sandra Paños on the list. The Alicante goalkeeper did send an email to the Federation showing herself available, but Vilda has left her out due to a technical decision in a pre-list in which there are four goalkeepers, including the substitute for Paños at FC Barcelona, ​​Cata Coll, one of the greats new to the list.
In total, three of the 15 internationals who sent a letter to the Federation last September asking not to be called up return: Aitana BonmatÃ, Mariona Caldentey and Ona Batlle. A group that does not include Alexia Putellas, who was injured at the time this email was sent, but who shared the footballers’ statement on her social networks. The pressure from sponsors and the desire to play in a World Cup after being injured hours before making his debut in the Euro Cup last summer, have weighed heavily on the captain of Barça and the team, who has also acted as a mediator in the negotiations with the Federation.
Nor were they part of ‘the 15’, although they shared their claim, Irene Paredes and Jenni Hermoso. The Madrilenian returned to the national team in February, while the Blaugrana did so in Vila’s last call-up last March.
Jorge Vilda has called a total of 30 footballers for the preparation list for the World Cup that starts on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand. He will have to discard seven players for the final list that will be announced on June 30. These are the 30 summoned: Cata Coll, Misa RodrÃguez, Elene Lete, Enith Salón; Ivana Andrés, Ona Batlle, Olga Carmona, Laia Codina, Jana Fernández, RocÃo Gálvez, Sheila GarcÃa, Oihane Hernández, Irene Paredes; Tere Abelleira, Fiamma BenÃtez, Aitana BonmatÃ, Irene Guerrero, Jenni Hermoso, Maite Oroz, MarÃa Pérez, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Zornoza; Mariona Caldentey, Marta Cardona, Athenea del Castillo, Inma Gabarro, Esther González, Eva Navarro, Salma Paralluelo and Alba Redondo.
After the Euro Cup, the footballers asked the Federation to raise the commitment to the team, providing it with better conditions in all aspects: economic, sporting, travel conditions… Most of them, especially those of FC Barcelona and the who play in foreign leagues have experienced notable growth in the structures of their clubs and wanted to transfer it to the national team.
In recent weeks, the positions between both parties have become closer, even Jorge Vilda was seen by the Barcelona Sports City as a sample of dialogue. The internationals that have returned understand that the more open attitude of the Federation, added to the improvements that have been achieved, are reason enough to return and continue fighting from within to achieve more things.
None of the parties wanted to make explicit what exactly these improvements consist of. Yes, the implementation of a conciliation plan in the RFEF was announced that will allow soccer players with children under two years of age to travel with them and with a caregiver.
The visibility in a tournament of this magnitude for sponsors and in the fight for individual prizes has also weighed, as well as the economic aspect. According to the economic prizes presented by FIFA last week, some footballers –not the case with Barça- will earn more in less than a month of the tournament than in a whole year with their clubs.
Mapi León, Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina are the main players in the group who consider that the improvements that have been implemented are not enough and they were not made available to the coach to be summoned again. All of them will miss a World Cup and most had already publicly shown their position before the list was made public today. The first to do so was Mapi León: “The changes that have occurred are not enough for me,” she has reiterated on more than one occasion. “What saddens me the most is that I have to lose something when I’ve earned it and I’ve contributed”, he opened up at the end of May in Rac1. Also on the Catalan station, Patri Guijarro confirmed after winning the Champions League with Barça that he would not be in the World Cup: “I think any player wants to play with their team, but today I don’t see that the situation can be fixed.”
Nerea Eizagirre was also clear in January, in statements to Relevo: “We have looked out for the good of those who come from behind, and I am telling you that I am 23 years old. We want them to have better conditions and we can win a European or a World Cup. It’s everyone’s goal, even though we’ve done things differently between us.”
