Barcelona's Fridolina Rolfö slams Spanish Football Federation over player boycott | OneFootball

Sweden’s Fridolina Rolfö has criticised the Spanish Football Federation for their treatment of the national women’s team players.

The Barcelona winger plays alongside six Spanish stars who are currently boycotting the national team – Aitana Bonmatí, Claudia Piña, Sandra Paños, Patri Guijarro, Maria Léon and Mariona Caldentey.

They are among the 15 players who emailed the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to claim that coach Jorge Vilda was impacting their “emotional state”.

Rolfö has joined fellow football stars Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan in offering her support to the striking players.

What has Fridolina Rolfö said about the boycotting players?

In an exclusive interview with Fotbollskanalen, Rolfö revealed she would have taken the same action as the Spanish players.

“It is very sad that it has come to this and that the players chose not to go to the national team camp,” she said. “It's unfortunate.

“There are players who want to represent their national team, but now they have chosen to strike and not participate. I hope they can find a solution.

“I support them 100 percent. And if I had been in their situation, I would have done the same thing, so I hope they will come up with something.”

Rolfö also criticised the RFEF, who have threatened the players with a “long-term suspension”.

“I don't understand it at all,” she said. “There are many question marks surrounding the actions and why people do what they do. It is some of the best players in Spain and Europe in general who are left out due to not finding solutions.

“So it's incredibly sad for them above all, but also everyone who doesn't get to see them play. Excluding these players and bringing in others instead is not the long-term solution to producing the best team.”

Why are the Spanish players in dispute with the RFEF?

Ainhoa Vicente Moraza, Patri Guijarro, Leila Ouahabi, Lucia Garcia, Laia Aleixandri, Ona Batlle, Andrea Pereira, Mariona Caldentey, Lola Gallardo, Nerea Eizaguirre and Amaiur Sarriegi have joined León, Piña, Bonmatí and Paños in boycotting the national team.

The 15 players submitted an email to the RFEF, claiming that Vilda, who has been in charge since 2015, was impacting their “emotional state”.

The RFEF claimed the players had threatened to resign from the national team if Vilda was not dismissed.

But the players later protested this was not the case, and they were disappointed the RFEF had made their “private communication” public.

“In no case have we resigned from the Spanish national team as the RFEF points out in their official statement,” they said.

But they admitted they had asked not to be called up because of “situations that affect our emotional and personal state, our performance, and consequently the results of the national team”.

Ballon d’Or winner and Barcelona star Alexia Putellas was not believed to be among the 15 players involved, but she later published a statement clarifying the situation.

The RFEF, who want those involved to “accept their mistakes and ask for forgiveness”, have chosen to back Vilda.