Spain's Women Players to End Boycott after Federation Commits to Change

New coach of Spain's female football team Montse Tome leaves after a meeting with players in a hotel in Madrid on September 19, 2023. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
New coach of Spain's female football team Montse Tome leaves after a meeting with players in a hotel in Madrid on September 19, 2023. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
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Spain's Women Players to End Boycott after Federation Commits to Change

New coach of Spain's female football team Montse Tome leaves after a meeting with players in a hotel in Madrid on September 19, 2023. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
New coach of Spain's female football team Montse Tome leaves after a meeting with players in a hotel in Madrid on September 19, 2023. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

Spain's World Cup winning-squad agreed to end their boycott of the national team early on Wednesday after the country's football federation (RFEF) said it would make "immediate and profound changes" to its structure.

The decision was reached around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) after more than seven hours of meetings at a hotel in Oliva, an hour from Valencia, involving the players, RFEF officials, the National Sports Council (CSD) and the women's players' union FUTPRO, Reuters reported.

The players had said they would not represent Spain until there were further changes at the federation, deepening a crisis that started after former (RFEF) boss Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the World Cup presentation ceremony.

"A joint commission will be created between RFEF, CSD and players to follow up on the agreements, which will be signed tomorrow," CSD President Victor Francos told reporters.

"The players have expressed their concern about the need for profound changes in the RFEF, which has committed to making these changes immediately."

Neither Francos nor Rafael del Amo, president of the RFEF committee for women's football, would elaborate on the changes to be made, only saying they would be announced "soon".

"The players see it as a rapprochement of positions. It is the beginning of a long road ahead of us," FUTPRO president Amanda Gutierrez told reporters.

"Once again, they have shown themselves to be coherent and the vast majority have decided to stay for the sake of this agreement."

After most of the Women's World Cup winners were selected for upcoming games, the players said in a joint statement they would take the "best decision" for their future and health after they studied the legal implications of being included in a squad list they had asked to be left out.

They argued the federation cannot require their presence because they alleged the call-up was not issued within the world's soccer governing body FIFA parameters in terms of timings and procedure.

The players could have faced sanctions including fines of up 30,000 euros ($32,000) and the suspension of their federation license for two to 15 years according to Spain's Sports Act if they had refused the call-up.

Twenty players who said they were boycotting the team were called up by new coach Montse Tome, and while all of them reported for training on Tuesday two decided to leave the squad for "personal reasons".

Neither of the players would be sanctioned and it was agreed their identities would remain anonymous.

"The first thing they have been told here has been: whoever is not at ease, does not feel strong enough, should know that neither the federation nor the CSD was going to apply a sanctioning process," Francos said.

The revolt by the players was triggered after former RFEF chief Rubiales kissed forward Hermoso on the lips following Spain's World Cup victory.

She disputed his insistence the kiss was consensual, sparking a national debate about macho culture in sport and eventually led to Rubiales's resignation.

Hermoso was not in the squad list announced on Monday and
accused the RFEF of trying to divide and manipulate the players.

Spain are set to make their debut in the Women's Nations League against Sweden in Gothenburg on Friday before playing against Switzerland in Cordoba on Sept. 26.

The Nations League will determine which teams from Europe qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The RFEF said the players would have a late breakfast after resting and will hold their first practice on Wednesday afternoon before travelling to Gothenburg on Thursday morning.



Naomi Osaka Loses to Karolina Muchova in US Open Second Round  

Japan's Naomi Osaka reacts during her women's singles second round tennis match against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova on day four of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 29, 2024. (AFP)
Japan's Naomi Osaka reacts during her women's singles second round tennis match against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova on day four of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 29, 2024. (AFP)
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Naomi Osaka Loses to Karolina Muchova in US Open Second Round  

Japan's Naomi Osaka reacts during her women's singles second round tennis match against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova on day four of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 29, 2024. (AFP)
Japan's Naomi Osaka reacts during her women's singles second round tennis match against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova on day four of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 29, 2024. (AFP)

Seemingly back in her US Open match, suddenly a point from getting to a third set, Naomi Osaka lost her way Thursday night, missing forehand after forehand until she ceded that game and chucked her racket, sending it clattering on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Not much later, she was out of the tournament, eliminated 6-3, 7-6 (5) by Karolina Muchova in the second round of an event where Osaka won two of her four Grand Slam titles.

“It's a little rough, because I do take these losses really personally. It’s like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose,” said Osaka, the champion at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2020, and at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. “It sucks a lot, but I’ve been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them.”

Osaka — once ranked No. 1 but now No. 88 after missing nearly 1 1/2 years because of mental health breaks and time off to have a baby — struggled for much of the early going, dropping five consecutive games and 22 of 26 points in one stretch.

But she played much better in the second set, getting her only break of the match to lead 5-4 and yelling “Come on!” when Muchova netted a forehand. The crowd roared for Osaka.

Serving for that set, Osaka hit a 119 mph ace, her fastest of the match, to lead 40-love. That gave her three chances to extend the match to a third set. That's when Osaka really faltered, making five forehand errors, with a double-fault mixed in, to waste all three of those set points and, worse, get broken.

“During the pressure moments, I got nervous, and I don’t know if I just have to keep playing more matches and get used to that feeling, especially on a really big stage,” Osaka said. “Honestly, if I get past the disappointment, I feel pretty proud of myself to have gotten that many opportunities while still feeling like I could have played much better.”

When they got to the tiebreaker, it was Muchova who asserted herself, then used some scrambling defense on the last point, flinging the ball back over the net and seeing Osaka send a swinging volley out.

“This is unbelievable — the atmosphere and the people. This is crazy energy,” said Muchova, a 28-year-old from the Czech Republic.

She enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, reaching the final at the French Open before losing to Iga Swiatek, and the semifinals at the US Open before exiting against eventual champion Coco Gauff. But shortly after that run at Flushing Meadows, Muchova left the tour because of an injured right wrist and she had surgery in October.

She was sidelined until this June; her Grand Slam return was a first-round loss at Wimbledon last month.

“Honestly, this year, the biggest win for me is that I could play again,” Muchova said. “This is just a cherry on top, to be here again, in this stadium.”

On this brisk evening, with the temperature dipping to 70 degrees after topping 90 on Wednesday afternoon, Muchova did not look at all like someone who is currently ranked 52nd.

Using a pen to jot down thoughts in a notebook during changeovers, Osaka was never able to seize control of the on-court exchanges.

Her groundstrokes were not as perfect as they were during a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday. Osaka did not make a single unforced error until the second set of that one, which became her first win against an opponent ranked in the top 10 in more than four years.

But if Osaka played so-so this time, Muchova was the one who looked terrific, whether serve-and-volleying or mixing in slices, finding her spots with serves or turning up the power when she wanted.

From the moment Osaka went ahead 3-2 at the start, everything went in Muchova's direction through the end of that set. And just as it seemed Osaka was getting back into the contest — with thousands of spectators supporting her — her forehand let her down.