Spain's Women's World Cup winners have ended their boycott of the national team following the controversy and standoff created by former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales' forced kiss on Jenni Hermoso after the final.
La Roja's players had agreed to boycott national team duty until serious changes were implemented by the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) and they have now seen fit to bring that action to a close after "immediate and profound changes" were promised.
After a meeting between the players, Spanish federation officials, Spain's National Sports Council (CSD) and players' union FUTPRO, an announcement was made which confirmed the end of the boycott and the changes which will follow.
"It is the beginning of a long road ahead of us," announced FUTPRO president Amanda Gutierrez. "Once again, they have shown themselves to be coherent, and the vast majority have decided to stay for the sake of this agreement."
"The players have expressed their concern about the need for profound changes in the RFEF, which has committed to making these changes immediately," said CSD chief Victor Francos who added that a joint commission will be created with members from all parties to "follow up on the agreements."
Spain went into their Women's World Cup campaign Down Under after several players opposed former head coach Jorge Vilda's management methods yet still managed to triumph in a 1-0 win over England in the Sydney final.
Rubiales forcefully kissing Hermoso during the ceremony immediately tarnished Spanish success and his claims that it was "mutual and with the consent" fueled a controversy which raged for weeks after the tournament before he was forced to resign with his position untenable.
Hermoso said in an Instagram video response that she "did not like" Rubiales' forceful behavior and the 33-year-old later revealed that she felt "vulnerable" and a "victim of aggression" through a statement released by FUTPRO.
Of the 23 Spanish players involved in the Women's World Cup, 21 of them said that Rubiales' resignation alone was not enough for them to return to international duty and demanded further changes from the RFEF before ending their boycott.
New Spain head coach Montse Tome picked 20 of the World Cup squad members for the Women's Nations League games against Sweden and Switzerland, although the group announcement was delayed with Hermoso eventually being left out with the RFEF trying to "protect" the player.
Hermoso slammed the RFEF in a statement and accused the Spanish soccer federation of trying to divide and manipulate the playing squad while the players said that they would take the "best decision" for their future despite risking $32,000 fines and license suspension for call-up refusals.
Two players left the squad for "personal reasons" on Tuesday after initially reporting for training ahead of the Nations League games which will impact Spain's potential involvement in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
