Montse Tomé Calls Up 19 Signatories, Leaves Out Jenni Hermoso

19 of those who refused national team call-ups, summoned without agreement

On September 18, 2023, the Spanish women's national team proge up to a list nobody had agreed upon. Montse Tomé included 19 of the players who had signed the September 15 statement, the one declaring their "firm will not to be called up." Jenni Hermoso was left out. The federation maintains that calling players up is its prerogative, not an invitation. The summoned players, according to the chronicles of that day, were considering their next move.

The list was finalized without agreement and with the Nations League just around the corner. This is the crux of the matter: this isn't about who plays better, but about who is in charge. And in this fight, regulations weigh infinitely more than any statement.

The statement that crumbled from within

The collective text was signed on September 15. A few hours later, according to reports by El País, several signatories sent individual emails to the federation declaring themselves available for selection. In other words, the united front had cracks beneath the surface, and the federation simply pulled on the thread. That's how the 19 came about.

The sequence is the closest thing to a trap that Spanish women's football has experienced. Negotiations happen in public, leaks occur in private, and in the end, a list is published that no one has agreed upon. An Atlético player summarized it on social media: calling them up like this, after they had requested changes before returning, is disrespectful.

What does a player risk by not showing up for a call-up?

The short answer: their federation license. Some argue that regulations stipulate 1 to 15 years without a license for those who reject a call-up, in addition to the corresponding fine. This isn't a symbolic fine or a slap on the wrist: it's being excluded from the system.

And here lies the administrative detail that almost no one notices. A withdrawal is not communicated via WhatsApp or a statement: it must be justified before the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) with medical reports and evidence. Without paperwork, there's no exception. Even with paperwork, it's not guaranteed.

Liga F's numbers: 18.1 million in revenue and 38.1 million in expenses

The figures for the 2021-2022 season of the then-Primera Iberdrola, overseen by the RFEF, paint a picture of a competition that doesn't sustain itself: club revenues of 18.1 million euros versus expenses of 38.1 million. The deficit is around 20 million. Added to this are approximately 30 million in public subsidies.

The contrast with the men's league is the most repeated argument: while El futbol español grew by 11% in that same season, the women's league continued to depend on external funding. Those defending the project respond that comparing a thirty-year-old league with one that has just been born is a fallacy. And they have a point.

The independent women's federation that no one wants to fund

There's a proposal on the table that sounds radical: withdraw from the Nations League for a couple of years, either through sanction or voluntarily, and during that time, establish a women's federation with leaders elected by the players themselves and funded by their revenue.

The problem is the usual one. No one believes that such an organization would survive on ticket sales. The recurring objection is that it would end up being subsidized just like the current one, with the difference that now, those who haven't gone through elections are in charge. A nice dilemma: independence or money, but not both.

The statement dated three days later

The curiosity of the week came from the statement itself: it referred to a statement dated September 22, 2023, when the calendar showed September 18. Four days into the future, no less. In a crisis where every comma is debated, the date preceding the events has its own peculiar humor.

With the list published, a federation executive dismissed along the way, and the players undecided about whether to show up, the issue remains exactly where it started: regulations that say one thing, a locker room that says another, and a federation that calls them up regardless. No one knows yet who will blink first.