00:00 Most of Spain's World Cup players have ended their boycott of the women's national team.
00:05 The move comes after all-night talks between the sports minister and the Spanish Football
00:10 Federation before a match scheduled for this Friday.
00:14 For more on this story, we can go across to France 24, Sarah Moore, standing by in Madrid.
00:19 Sarah, what did this all-night meeting produce?
00:22 Well, essentially, 21 of the 23 women's players called up for that Nations League by the new
00:31 coach Monsi Tome will be calling off their boycott.
00:35 They will be playing Sweden on Friday.
00:38 They are crucial games, the Nations League, because they will also qualify who goes to
00:44 the Olympic Games, and Spain definitely wants to be at the Olympic Games.
00:50 Now, this was not an easy deal.
00:52 Seven hours of talks went on and concluded in the small hours just before five o'clock
00:59 local time.
01:01 And basically, this was negotiations brokered between the sports minister that involved
01:08 players' representatives and the Federation.
01:11 And Victor Francos, the sports minister, said that the Federation has committed to structural
01:18 change, as the women's players were calling for, and that that would happen immediately.
01:24 He also said a commission would be set up, which would include members of the sports
01:31 council, which is government-run, and the players' representatives, plus the Federation,
01:38 to oversee that process.
01:40 Basically, we had the women's union saying that those changes needed to be included,
01:49 including things they'd been calling for a long time.
01:51 They said the Federation had to be run in a more professional way, and that the women
01:56 had to be treated in the same way as the men's team.
02:01 And coach Monsi Tome, notably, she replaced Jorge Bilda, who was much criticised.
02:08 Monsi Tome will stay.
02:11 And Sarah, what about the player at the heart of the kissing scandal involving Luis Rubiales?
02:17 Is Jenny El Moso back in the squad?
02:21 Well, she was not called up among those 23 players named on Monday by Monsi Tome.
02:29 Of course, two players don't want to go to Sweden, and the sports minister said they
02:34 wouldn't suffer any sanctions.
02:37 Could Jenny El Moso be one of those replacements?
02:39 We still don't know that.
02:41 But Jenny El Moso reacted very quickly on Monday to being left out of the squad, because
02:48 she was left out by Monsi Tome, who said that that decision had been taken, quote, "to
02:54 protect her."
02:55 Well, Jenny El Moso basically said, "To protect me from what and from whom?"
03:00 If the Federation is saying that this is a safe place for my colleagues to play, then
03:06 why am I needing that protection?
03:09 Jenny El Moso, very critical, saying that the women had been intimidated still by the
03:14 Federation by being called up when they'd made it clear initially they did not want
03:20 to be called up, and waiting for those crucial changes in the Federation.
03:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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