15 of Spain’s best soccer players asked not to be called up this season, citing harmful training methods by head coach Jorge Vilda and his staff. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said they received 15 emails from 15 players stating that the current coaching significantly affects their emotional health and wellbeing and until changes are made, they will not play. “You got a 16th standing with you in America,” the 2019 SI Swimsuit model and two-time World Cup winner wrote on Instagram. “This many players together like this is so powerful. We should all listen.” The RFEF claimed that the 15 women were “resigning” but the Spanish team’s star player Alexia Putellas disagreed. “In no case did we resign from the Spanish national team, like the RFEF claims in their official statement,” the two-time Best FIFA Women’s Player award winner wrote in a joint statement with the other players. “Like we said in our private email, we’ve maintained, continue to maintain and will continue to maintain an unquestionable commitment to the Spanish national team.” The players are not asking for Vilda to be removed. They understand that their job “is not in any case to decide that position,” and are simply expressing “constructively and with honesty, what we believe can better the performance of the team.” The players said they are unhappy with the locker room atmosphere, handling of injuries and Vilda’s team selection and training methods. The RFEF considers refusing to be called up for a national team to be a “very serious infraction” worthy of two to five years of disqualification. “It is an unprecedented situation in the history of football, both male and female, in Spain and worldwide.” The RFEF continues to support Vilda and his actions and said that the unnamed players will only be allowed to return to the team after “asking for forgiveness.” More News:

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