When the Matildas faced Spain in June, coach Tony Gustavsson fielded a second-string team, choosing to give players like Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Mary Fowler a much-needed breather – the last real opportunity he had to do so before the Women’s World Cup.
They were smashed 7-0, and he was heavily criticised, with many questioning the point of arranging a friendly against one of Europe’s top teams in the first place if Australia’s stars weren’t going to be involved.
Fast-forward eight months, and the shoe is on the other foot, albeit for very different reasons. This time it’s Spain bringing a heavily weakened squad to Australia for the Cup of Nations, which begins on Thursday night in Gosford – but not because of injury or fitness concerns.
An ongoing dispute between 15 of their best players and their coach, Jorge Vilda, has caused a seemingly irreparable divide within Spanish football. And there’s no sign that it will be resolved anytime soon, a situation which could threaten the nation’s chances of World Cup glory later this year.
It all started when the 15 players all sent identical emails to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), claiming their “emotional and health state [had] been significantly affected” by “recent events” and, as such, they would not be available for selection for their friendlies against Sweden and the United States.
The players did not name him, but it quickly emerged their problem was with Vilda, 41, and his selections, tactics, training sessions, management of injuries, the negative atmosphere they believed he had allowed to develop within the team, and how he was stopping them from reaching their full potential on the pitch.
Jorge Vilda’s Spain has gone undefeated in four games since the drama first broke.Credit:Getty
The RFEF came out in furious support of Vilda, saying the players would only be accepted back into the national team fold if they “accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness”, while the Spanish press accused Las 15, as they have become known, of an unacceptable rebellion.
There were, initially, shades of the Alen Stajcic affair: because no specific claims had been made against Vilda, speculation about the root of the players’ grievances ran wild.
“This mess is hurting Spanish football. It’s a worldwide embarrassment,” he said. “I’m confused because I don’t know what the players are demanding. I wish there had been more clarity. I’d prefer it if they had told me in person, and then I’m sure we wouldn’t be in this situation. It’s as simple as that.
“I’m here 24 hours a day to speak and to express opinions. I’m always open to dialogue. All the training sessions are recorded, and I would be delighted if they were all broadcast live. Lack of dialogue? Sure there has been, but not on our part.”
Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas is currently injured, but won’t play for Spain again unless the crisis is resolved.Credit:Getty
The 15 players haven’t featured for Spain since, but they have additional support in two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who is currently injured but has sided with them – and, quite possibly, will sit out the Women’s World Cup too if there is no resolution.
The whole situation remains clouded in ambiguity, and the relationship between the players and the RFEF shows no sign of repair. Last month, when Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup, players were snubbed by federation officials and had to collect their own winners’ medals rather than being presented with them as part of the traditional ceremony.
‘Las 15’: The Spanish players on a self-imposed exile
Barcelona: Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon, Claudia Pina, Aitana Bonmati, Mariona Caldentey, Sandra Panos
Atletico Madrid: Ainhoa Moraza, Lola Gallardo
Manchester United: Ona Batlle, Lucia Garcia
Manchester City: Leila Ouahabi, Laia Aleixandri
Real Sociedad: Nerea Eizaguirre, Amaiur Sarriegi
* Alexia Putellas (Barcelona) has sided with the players but is currently injured, and reportedly did not email the RFEF with the other 15 to decline selection
Vilda, meanwhile, has refused to speak about the players who are not in the team, and has flat-batted questions about whether they could go to the World Cup without Putellas, which seems unthinkable.
Yet on the field, Spain seems to be doing just fine. They’re unbeaten in their last four games, conceding only one goal in that time – and while Gustavsson is astounded with their depth, he would prefer to see their big guns back in time for the Women’s World Cup, for which they are one of the favourites.
“You want to beat the best, right?” he said. “I’ve always been wired that way. Even if we’re going to play them, we want to play the best.
“What I really got surprised about is the quality they had in that first camp after those 15 players had gone. They played Sweden and the US, and it was even. The depth of quality in that country is just unreal.
“It’s not my job to comment because I don’t know the inside, but what I can comment in general is that I would love the best players, even the injured ones to be here.”
2023 CUP OF NATIONS
Match Day One
Date: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Venue: Industree Group Stadium, Gosford, NSW
Match One: Spain v Jamaica – 4.10pm kick-off AEDT
Match Two: Matildas v Czechia – 7.10pm kick-off AEDT
Match Day Two
Date: Sunday, 19 February 2023
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Match One: Jamaica v Czechia – 2.50pm
Match Two: Matildas v Spain – 6.00pm AEDT
Match Day Three
Date: Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, NSW
Match One: Czechia v Spain – 3.00pm kick-off AEDT
Match Two: Matildas v Jamaica – 7.10pm kick-off AEDT
Watch every match of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League on Stan Sport. Returns for the Round of 16, with all the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand from
