The players finally broke their silence. Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes broke into the press room of Gamla Ullevi in ??Gothenburg yesterday afternoon. The stage that witnessed FC Barcelona’s first Champions League was also witness to a historic speech that transcended women’s football: “If our fight can serve any woman who goes through a situation like Jenni’s [Hermoso], it will have been worth it,” said Alexia, who called for “zero tolerance for people who have hidden, applauded or incited abuse.” “For her, for us and for all women. We didn’t want to set a precedent. All that is not to face it is to position yourself”, he denounced in an emotional and powerful speech.
It was the most anticipated appearance and the players of the national team chose Alexia and Paredes as spokespersons, a gesture with a high symbolic charge. The Blaugrana had been captains of the national team until Jorge Vilda snatched their armband as punishment for defying him in the 15 o’clock conflict. Yesterday they showed that they have never stopped being the leaders of this dressing room. Their faces betrayed the sleepless nights, but their voices sounded firmer than ever. “We want to play football in decent conditions and this has not been possible until now. That’s why we’re asking for changes, so that the moment comes when the players just have to dedicate themselves to playing, not whether the system works or if it supports them”, said Paredes. The internationals have always been very aware that they are fighting for future generations, and on Tuesday they decided to protect them by staying in the concentration: “We made the decision to stay, not because we are comfortable there, but because we believe that it’s what we have to do to ensure that the agreements we reached are fulfilled and out of responsibility towards the under 23. If we hadn’t done it, they would surely have been called and it was like passing a bomb to people who have less experience”.
They are exhausted, they have been under stress for many weeks, looking for a way out of the worst crisis that can be remembered not only in Spanish women’s football, but in the entire Spanish Federation. “We only want to be footballers, but we had to make up our minds that this was not possible”, acknowledged Alexia. The players have learned from the mistakes made, especially in the communication of a year ago when the 15 crisis broke out, and yesterday they explained themselves loud and clear. “For many decades there has been systematic discrimination against women. We had to fight a lot to be heard and that leads to wear and tear that we didn’t want to have”, lamented the Blaugrana midfielder.
The entry of the Superior Sports Council (CSD) was decisive in unblocking the situation, but they consider that they took too long to intervene: “The CSD has entered in a forceful way, and it is appreciated, but until now we have felt alone . They arrived late and that’s how we let them know”, acknowledged Paredes. That meeting in Oliva (Valencia) is “a before and an after”. “Agreements were reached that are important for moving forward. We know that there are things that require time, but we take them at their word, they committed themselves and the changes are already taking place”, explained Paredes. The first, the dismissal of Andreu Camps as general secretary. But not the last: “The light at the end of the tunnel is still not visible. Much remains to be done.” Of course, Alexia insisted that they have never asked for anyone’s departure: “We have never asked for any dismissal, it is not our competence”. “We always go head-on. We are fighting for a transparent football, we cannot not be transparent”.
Before Alexia and Paredes, the selector Montse Tomé appeared in the press room. Her face of exhaustion and her broken voice reflected the difficult time that the Asturian is going through, who was accompanied in her intervention by her entire coaching staff. She assured that she felt “endorsed” by the players and with confidence: “I don’t feel that they don’t want me, they haven’t told me”, she said. Of course, he acknowledged between the lines that Monday’s list had not been his business, but that of the already dismissed Andreu Camps: “It is something that escapes from sports matters. These are things that I do not control, that are managed by other people”. And he reiterated his support for the footballers and Jenni Hermoso: “What my coaching staff and I have always wanted is to protect and help the players. Being with Jenni, who has had a bad time.”
