Spain Women players deny asking for national coach Jorge Vilda to be sacked

Spain’s women players insist they have never called for the dismissal of head coach Jorge Vilda – and hit out at the governing body for going public over their concerns.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation said it had received 15 e-mails from players who refused to continue representing their country under Vilda.

According to the national governing body, the players had claimed Vilda’s regime was affecting their “health” and “emotional state” and “as long as it is not reversed they renounce the national team of Spain”.

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— Alexia Putellas (@alexiaputellas) September 23, 2022

Reports suggested the players agreed to push for the departure of Vilda, who has been in the role since 2015, soon after their defeat to England in the Euro 2022 quarter-finals due to his coaching methods and tactics.

The RFEF stated the players could be disqualified for up to five years and will only be allowed to play again “if they assume their mistake and ask for forgiveness”, adding it would replace the players with others from the national team’s lower age groups.

Later on Friday, the players issued a collective response on social media, posted via Manchester United defender Ona Batlle and Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas, the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner who was forced out of Euro 2022 by a serious knee injury.

The players said they had “never asked for the dismissal of the coach”, adding “that our job is not in any case to choose” the position.

The group stressed disappointment “that the RFEF has made public, in a partial and interested way, a private communication with information that affects our health.”

The players made it clear “in no case have we resigned from the Spanish team as the RFEF points out in their