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Spain’s women players call for more heads to roll after Rubiales exit – ARN News Centre
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DAVID GRAY/AFP
A group of 39 players from Spain said on Friday it wanted further changes at the Spanish football federation and that the resignation of chief Luis Rubiales and the replacement of the team’s manager was not enough.
In a statement, the women, including most of the 23 World Cup-winning squad, did not clarify whether they would continue to boycott national team matches, but said they had called on the RFEF to restructure Rubiales’ former cabinet, the Secretary General, the communications and marketing department and the so-called integrity unit.
An original group of 81 players called the boycott in the wake of the furore over Rubiales’ allegedly unsolicited kiss on the lips of player Jenni Hermoso in Sydney after Spain won the World Cup last month.
“The changes specified to the RFEF are based on zero tolerance for people who in their jobs inside the RFEF have incited, hidden or applauded attitudes that go against women’s dignity,” the group of 39 said in the statement.
“The changes produced until now are not enough for the players to feel in a safe place.”
An RFEF spokesperson said the federation was in talks with the players and had postponed a press conference in which recently-appointed coach Montse Tome was set to announce the squad for Spain’s match against Sweden on September 22 in the Nations League.
The competition will determine which countries from Europe qualify for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
The rebels could face sanctions including fines and suspension of their licences that could prevent them from representing their clubs under a new sports law which classifies an “unjustified failure to attend a team meeting” as a “very serious infringement.”
Should the new law be applied, they could face fines of up to 30,000 euros ($31,965) and the suspension of their federation licence for 2-15 years.
Rubiales resigned as president of the RFEF and from his position as vice president of UEFA after weeks of resisting calls from players, politicians and women’s groups to step down.
He appeared in court on Friday to testify before a judge, who is investigating whether the kiss and subsequent alleged efforts to force Hermoso to say it was “a mutual gesture”, constitute sexual abuse and coercion.
Hermoso said in her complaint against Rubiales that he and his entourage had issued a statement without her approval quoting her as saying the kiss was a “mutual, totally spontaneous gesture”.
The women’s team has been at loggerheads with the RFEF over playing conditions for nearly a decade to combat sexism and achieve parity with their male counterparts.
Since 2015 the players have staged two dressing room rebellions, denouncing a culture of bullying and complaining that the previous two coaches were not sufficiently qualified to work at an international level.
A new board at the RFEF formed after Rubiales was suspended by football’s world governing body FIFA, last week sacked Jorge Vilda, who managed the team during the World Cup, and replaced him with his assistant Tome.
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Tributes have poured in after the son of former Chelsea star Eddie Newton was found dead alongside his friend following a hike in the UAE, where temperatures soared to 50C.
Cassius Newton, 34, and his friend Aran Martinson, 33, were found by rescuers on July 18 after setting out on a hike in the mountainous Wadi Naqab region.
The pair, from Dorset and Essex respectively, both lived and worked in the UAE. Their bodies were discovered between 3km and 4km from their vehicle.
According to a report, Chelmsford area coroner Michelle Brown said their provisional causes of death included cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Cassius, a non-league footballer, was the son of former Chelsea midfielder and coach Eddie Newton, who spent more than a decade with the club.
His wife was in the UK when she became concerned after Cassius failed to contact her following the hike and reported him missing.
The two men had been living at a luxury resort in Ras Al Khaimah.
Tributes after desert tragedy
Tributes poured in after the deaths.
Aran’s wife described him as “incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious”, saying he had recently begun a new chapter in his career and was excited about the future.
Blackfield & Langley Football Club paid tribute to their former player, saying: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the passing of former player Cassius Newton; our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
National League club Eastleigh, where Cassius had previously played, said it was “deeply saddened” by his death.
Chelsea connection
Cassius’ father Eddie Newton played for Chelsea from 1990 to 2001 and famously scored in the club’s 1997 FA Cup final victory.
The former midfielder also represented Cardiff City, Birmingham City, Oxford United and Barnet.
After retiring as a player, Newton moved into coaching, working as assistant manager at MK Dons and West Brom before returning to Chelsea.
He later served as assistant manager under Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benítez.
(With inputs from BBC, The Sun)
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