“Se Acabó” – the Call that Sparked Change for Spain’s Women’s National Soccer Team

Spain’s women’s national soccer team with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez following their victory at the World Cup in August (flickr).

Spain and Sweden’s women’s national soccer teams held a banner stating, “#SeAcabó. [it’s over] Our fight is the global fight” before competing in their first game in the Union of European Football Association’s (UEFA) Nations League on September 22. This was a reaction to the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, non-consensually kissing Jennifer Hermoso, a member of the Spanish women’s national team after their victory in August’s World Cup in Australia. 

The Nations League game was incredibly important for both teams. The two coveted open spots for UEFA teams for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will be given to the finalists of the tournament, rather than through the World Cup like it was in past years. Spain was victorious, winning 3-2 in extra time during a penalty kick.

During the game, the players of the Spanish national team held up a fist with a wristband that had “se acabó'' and the number ten written on it, Hermoso’s jersey number. Banners with the slogan “se acabó'' were seen throughout the stands as fans erupted into applause for the Spanish team in support of their fight.

Since the World Cup Final in August, #SeAcabó has sent shockwaves across Spain and the rest of the world. Players and many others across Spain have called for Rubiales to be dismissed as president of RFEF following the incident. #SeAcabó has spread beyond the bounds of soccer, with many women bringing up similar abuses they have faced in their daily lives. Spain’s acting Equality Minister Irene Montero highlighted that it was a “form of sexual violence that we women suffer on a daily basis and until now has been invisible.” Aléxia Putellas, a teammate of Hemoso's, wrote on social media, “This is unacceptable, I’m with you Jenni Hermoso.” 

Rubiales made a speech following the event, arguing that the backlash he faced was a result of “false feminism” and “social assassination” and claiming the kiss was consensual. He repeated five times that he would not resign as president, while the crowd full of federation members gave him a standing ovation.

This is not the first time the Spanish women’s national team has called for changes within the RFEF. In September 2022, 15 players announced they would refuse selection for the Spanish national team as long as the RFEF continued to employ Jorge Vilda as their head coach. They stated that Vilda was affecting them mentally and physically, creating an unhealthy environment. Ultimately, RFEF ignored the complaints and called upon alternate players for the team. While defending himself, Rubiales tried to point out similarities between  his situation and Vilda’s the year before.

There has been a month of consistent protests to the leadership of the RFEF, especially after Rubiales’ speech. Many Spaniards have called for a systematic change within the RFEF. While both Rubiales and Vilda were removed from the federation, little else has been done by the federation to address the players’ complaints.

Of the 23 World Cup winning team members, 21, along with many other players, signed a statement demanding the restructuring of “the leadership positions of the Royal Spanish Football Federation” to create a “safe place where women are respected.” They expressed that they did not want to be called to play for the Spanish national team following the assault and the lack of response by the RFEF until their demands were met.

The first move made by Montse Tomé, Vilda’s replacement as coach of the Spanish women’s national team, was to summon players for the upcoming UEFA Nations League tournament. Of the players chosen, 20 had publicly signed letters asking not to be called upon to play. The players made an additional announcement that they were looking for legal ways to ignore the callup while avoiding punishment. The Spanish Sports Law states that players refusing to play can be fined up to 30,000 euros and have up to five years of a disqualification of their license. 

Another controversial decision was to avoid calling Hermoso to play, which Tomé said was “to protect her.” Hermoso released a statement pointing out the federation’s double standards through its claim that it “would be safe for my colleagues to rejoin” while excluding her “as a means to protect me.”

Ultimately, the players showed up for the call to play for fear of retribution, but made their reluctance to be there apparent. Here, the players and the RFEF entered negotiations, with the National Sports Council (CSD) as mediators. Twenty-one of the players called upon decided to stay on the national team, with the remaining two being allowed to leave with assurances they would not be sanctioned for it.

Before the matchup between Spain and Sweden, teammates Putellas and Irene Paredes held a press conference. They said that they agreed to stay not because they feel comfortable, but “because we think it’s what we have to do so that the agreements go forward and for this to go forward.” They spoke out against the RFEF’s “systemic discrimination” and said they had "zero tolerance for people who have hidden, applauded or incited abuse."

Following the negotiations between themselves and the players, the RFEF announced many changes to the organization. They include advancements on gender pay and equal pay, having a Mixed Commission with representatives for the players, RFEF, and CSD,  and referring to both the women’s and men’s teams as the ‘Spanish National Football Team.’

“If our fight can serve any woman who goes through a situation like Jenni [Hermoso], it will have been worth the effort,” Putellas said. “For her, for us and for all women. We didn't want to set a precedent. Anything that involves taking a side is taking a position.” Parades added, “We want to play football in decent conditions and that has not been possible until now. That is why we are asking for changes, so that the time comes when the players only have to dedicate themselves to playing, not about whether the system works or if it supports them.”

The RFEF claims they are willing to make the changes necessary to see progress within their organization. However, only six of the federation’s 140 members are women, which demonstrates the deeper problems that the women playing for Spain have faced for years. Many of the federation’s members were in the crowd during Rubieles’ speech and gave him a standing ovation for defending himself against “false feminism.” While they have made some progress, the road ahead for the Spanish national team will be a difficult one.