While the Spanish nation is preparing for another important final of the tournament, they are much due to the internal changes caused by the players themselves. After years of struggle, Irene Paredes and her teammates can finally concentrate on what they do best: playing football to win titles.
“Se Acabo.” These two words plastered everywhere on the day after the final of the World Cup 2023, won by Spain, firstly explore the sexual attack that Jenni Hermoso suffered by Luis Rubiales, but also a completely misogynistic and patriarchal system that led the feeling of boisterous led to this action was finally punished in court.
The Spanish Federation is the core of the criticism expressed in the various press releases published by the World Champions, whose triumph has been overshadowed by the reprehensible behavior of their leader.
The 23 heroines were called for a rally, which they had knowingly asked not to be present as a protest, so they flew against their will to Valencia, under the threat to be suspended by their clubs for a few months.
The captains then recorded their responsibilities and started meeting meetings late at night with the senior staff of the Federation to put everything right and legitimate to ask for real changes, after he had already obtained a few superficial adjustments to convince 'Las 15' to return to the national team for the World Cup.
Everything was tackled: travel conditions, accommodation, training conditions, respect for recovery time, group planning, individual privacy, qualifications of the staff, the place of children for players who are mothers, the level of demands of the RFEF and dedication to women's football.
A whole series of problems that have become daily worries for players who are asked to perform at the highest level. And their male counterparts don't have to worry about them.
Enjoy their 'best' base camp
At the last UEFA European Championship, when Spain was eliminated by England in the quarterfinals, the players were housed in Marlow, a village of 14,000 inhabitants in the west of London that is especially far from everywhere.
It became even worse in the World Cup 2023, when La Roja went into a precarious hotel in Palmerston North in Palmerston North, before he had to change the base camp because the facilities provided were insufficient and the field was in such a poor condition. The Spaniards alternated between Wellington and Auckland before they flew to Sydney.
The first important change is that the team now has the right to stay in five -star hotels. Far away from the dingy hotels in industrial estates that previous generations had known.
Everything has changed since then. In Switzerland, the Spanish national team trains in the Juan Antonio Samaranch Stadium, one of the few grounds for training in the competition to meet all UEFA standards.
The rest of the time, Alexia Putellas and her teammates can enjoy a base camp in Lausanne, one of the largest cities in the country, sandwiched in a modern hotel between the Alps and Lake Geneva, “considered the best in the tournament” according to a UEFA source quoted by sport.
The place was designed by the RFEF as a living space where the players have to feel at home. For example, Irene Paredes can meet her son Mateo in a special environment after lunch.
“It is without a doubt the best base camp in history. And the city they have chosen for us is perfect,” says Patri Guijarro, who enjoys this tournament after writing the last two games to ask for the same improvements. “The truth is that we immediately feel at home.”
The Spaniards have even been able to take advantage of their strategic position between Bern and Thun, where they played their group matches, to visit the surrounding cities during their days off, which are also numerous and less controlled than during the last tournaments.
A complete evolution
In addition to the base camp, a whole environment has evolved in the world champions to enable them to concentrate exclusively on sport and their versions: a delegation of at least 60 people, specialists in every area from communication to food.
“I enjoy this tournament a lot, perhaps even more than in earlier tournaments,” confesses Paredes, 34, and with 118 caps to her name.
“We came to a quiet moment where we just want to enjoy football.”
Immediately behind her, Montse Tome also notes the evolution in the way the national team is treated, and sees the fact that the questions on the eve of the last only worry of football as “a big change we have made”.
However, the captain is cautious that La Roja does not rest on their laurels too quickly after years of struggle: “Since the final of the World Cup, much progress has been made, but I remain convinced that we must continue to open doors to normalize situations that are becoming more and more.
“We have broken down many walls, we are a benchmark for girls and boys, but we still have things to do.”