“Spanish Federation for Women’s Football Chief Affirms Adequate Changes Following Luis Rubiales’ Departure”

Rafael del Amo, the head of women’s football within the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), has asserted that the organization has implemented sufficient changes to address the concerns of the 80 players who had demanded structural reforms in the aftermath of Luis Rubiales’ exit as president.

On Friday, Montse Tome, the new Spain women’s national team manager, is set to announce her first squad list. However, there has been no clear indication from the players whether they will accept the call-up.

Del Amo had previously resigned from his position as the head of the women’s game before Luis Rubiales delivered his speech declaring he wouldn’t resign, only to subsequently resign on Sunday night. Del Amo claims he had told Rubiales that his time as president was over, but he stood alone in making that demand.

Since then, interim President Pedro Rocha has dismissed former manager Jorge Vilda and promised structural reforms and improved conditions that the players had demanded. In an interview with Cadena SER, del Amo stated that these improvements, particularly in making the organization around the women’s team more professional, have already been put in place.

“We already had those conditions before the ’15’ mess. The only problem has been Jenni; they haven’t told us anything about the rest. We were world champions for a reason; they have had everything just like the boys.”

Del Amo believes that the departures of Rubiales and Vilda constitute sufficient changes to appease the Spain players, who were seeking only the most basic improvements.

“I think that in terms of restoring Jenni’s honor, it is enough. With the dismissals of Rubiales and Vilda, their honor has been restored. Nothing else is being negotiated; they have everything. The conditions they had in the World Cup will continue to be maintained. We have been champions, and we have not stood still. We have to continue growing, innovating, and looking forward.”

It remains to be seen how the players will react to this development. While some players, like Olga Carmona, may indicate that the conditions at the World Cup met their standards, there are still concerns. As of now, there are no coaches on Tome’s staff, no coaches for the youth categories, and no sporting director appointed. Furthermore, the duration of Tome’s tenure as manager remains uncertain.