Jennifer Hermoso has been left out of Spain’s squad for the upcoming European Championship. The Spanish national coach emphasizes that the kiss incident after the 2023 World Cup did not play a role in her decision.
After winning the world title, Hermoso received an unsolicited kiss on the mouth from Luis Rubiales, the then president of the Spanish football federation. This led to global outrage and a lawsuit in Spain.
Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault. He avoided a prison sentence but received a fine of over 10,000 euros. The case is still ongoing because both Rubiales and Hermoso have appealed the verdict.
The case also reverberated within the Spanish football federation, where several officials had to step down. According to national coach Montse Tomé, all of this had no influence on her decision to pass over Spain’s all-time top scorer for the European Championship. The tournament starts next month.
“I already spoke with ‘Jenni’ at the beginning of this year. She is an important player,” Tomé said on Tuesday when announcing her selection. “We have not treated her differently from others. We looked at what we needed. It is always difficult to come up with a list of 23 players.”
Ten players from FC Barcelona
According to Tomé, attacker Hermoso had too much competition in her position. Players from FC Barcelona, one of the best clubs in the world, are mainly considered for this. Hermoso currently plays for the Mexican club Tigres and last played for Spain at the end of last year.
In Spain’s European Championship squad, no fewer than 10 of the 23 players come from FC Barcelona, the losing finalist of the most recent edition of the Champions League. Among others, star players Aitana Bonmatí and Alèxia Putellas are part of the team.
Spain starts the European Championship in Switzerland in three weeks as top favorite. The Spaniards are in a group with Portugal, Belgium and Italy. So far, a semi-final place in 1997 is Spain’s best result at a European Championship.