It has been a very difficult time for Spanish football in recent weeks, following the scandal involving former Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales, who resigned earlier this month following mass pressure after he kissed Jenni Hermoso without consent after Spain’s World Cup victory in August.
La Roja are still moving on from the incident, although there has been daylight between the squad and the RFEF over certain issues, although there has been movement on some of these of late.
One issue that remains is that of Montse Tome, whose appointment as head coach was not met warmly by the squad. She has been assistant to her predecessor Jorge Vilda, and she is seemed to represent “Rubialism” by some within the squad.
The vast majority of the Spain squad have allowed themselves to be available for selection again, but one player that was not included in the latest call-up group was Nuria Rabano, the former Barcelona defender who now plays for Wolfsburg.
Speaking to Diario AS, Rabano revealed that she has been ostracised from the squad after opening up to Tome on her concerns during her last call-up.
“When I went to the call before, it was like ‘I’m here because others are not there’. I felt uncomfortable, out of place. I was not 100% enjoying being with the Spanish National Team. In the end, it affected me mentally because many of “The 15” players were from my own team (Barcelona) and that tasted bad to me.
“Even when I returned from the National Team I gave explanations because I felt bad and I needed to tell them, that they knew that I thought like them, that I was with them, but that I could not decide further.
“It is true that I told Montse (when she was assistant head coach) at the time how I had felt. Psychologically, I was not to give 100% for myself and for what I was going through. Since then, they decided not to count on me.”
It’s unclear whether Tome will respond to Rabano’s remarks when she speaks to the media on Monday ahead of Spain’s UEFA Nations League match against Switzerland, but it is certainly a delicate issue.
