September 18, (THEWILL) – Newly appointed coach, Montse Tome, has named 15 players from Spain’s victorious World Cup squad in her first selection since taking charge, despite an ongoing player revolt against the national federation.
Tome confirmed at a press conference on Monday, that she had spoken with the players, but would not divulge details of their discussions. “It’s the start of a new phase, the clock is ticking. There is nothing behind us and we really want to connect with these players,” she stated.
The squad announcement comes after 39 players, including 21 World Cup winners, said on Friday they wanted further changes at the country’s football Federation beyond the resignation of chief Luis Rubiales. The players began their boycott following Rubiales’ nonconsensual kissing of Jennifer Hermoso after Spain’s World Cup triumph.
Hermoso was omitted from Tome’s squad, with the coach saying “We stand with Jenni…we believe that the best way to protect her is like this, but we are counting on Jenni.”
Tome will take charge of Spain for the first time against Sweden and Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League on September 22 and September 26. While Spain will travel to play Sweden, the game against Switzerland is at home.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
