Rubiales banned from going near Hermoso amid safety fears

Former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales has been banned from going within 200m of Jenni Hermoso, as her World Cup-winning team-mates said they did not feel safe playing for the country.

Thirty-nine Spanish female soccer players – including all but two of the World Cup squad – raised safety concerns following a furore over Rubiales’ allegedly non-consensual kiss on Hermoso, in a statement on Friday.

The players demanded further federation changes but did not clarify whether they would continue with a boycott of playing for the national team.

The statement, which includes the signatures of star names such as Hermoso, Alexia Putellas, Olga Carmona and former Manchester United player Ona Batlle, said: “We have transmitted to the (FA), the changes that have occurred are not enough for the players to feel in a safe place, where women are respected, there is a commitment to women’s football and where we can give our maximum performance.

“The players of the Spanish team are professional players, and what fills us most with pride is wearing the shirt of our team and always leading our country to the highest positions.

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“For this reason, we believe that it is time to fight to show that these situations and practices have no place in our football or in our society and that the current structure needs changes. We do it so that the next generations can have a much more equal game that we all deserve.”

The statement is also signed by a number of players who withdrew from the Spain squad last year over conditions within the national team set-up, including Mapi Leon and Patricia Guijarro