WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2023
Who were the 15 Spain players who withdrew from the national team?
Last year ‘Las 15′ refused selection for the Spain squad. Eight have since reversed that decision, but only three made it to the Women’s World Cup.
After Spain’s disappointing exit from the Women’s European Championships in 2022, 15 members of the national team took the extraordinary step of withdrawing from the national team set up.
The 15 Spanish players sent the Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol (RFEF) identical emails, stating their concerns over players’ “emotional state”.
Full details of the complaints were not made public, but many of them revolved around the national team coach, Jorge Vilda.
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The players, known in Spain as ‘Las 15′, were Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Mapi Leon, Mariona Caldentey, Sandra Panos, Claudia Pina, Lola Gallardo, Ainhoa Moraza, Nerea Eizagirre, Amaiur Sarriegi, Lucia Garcia, Ona Batlle, Leila Ouahabi, Laia Aleixandri and Andrea Pereira.
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Which of the 15 Spanish players are playing in the Women’s World Cup?
Given the explosive nature of the complaints, coming in a squad that is ranked among the best in the world, it sent shockwaves through Spanish football.
In the following months eight players stated their willingness to return to the national set up, but only three have been selected by Vilda for the Women’s World Cup.
Those three players are Aitana Bonmati, Mariona Caldentey and Ona Batlle.
The timeline of ‘Las 15′ controversy
Just weeks after Spain’s Euro 2022 dream ended in June at the hands of eventual winners England, members of the team went to the RFEF to register their concerns about the team’s direction.
They made known their unhappiness with Jorge Vilda and his staff. In response Luis Rubiales, the head of the RFEF, was clear: Vilda is going nowhere. The players returned to the squad in September, albeit with an air of reticence about their future.
It initially appeared that those involved had assimilated back into the squad, but the group soon fell apart. In October, news broke that 15 international players had sent an email to the RFEF asking to not be made available for selection with the national team.
Just three of those players, many of whom are playing with top European clubs, have since returned to the fold. However such is the strength in depth of the Spanish national team, the new-look squad has managed to make it to the Women’s World Cup final.