While the Spanish nation prepares for another major tournament final, they owe much to the internal changes brought under the pressure of the players themselves. After the war years, Irene Paredes and her teammates can finally focus on what they do best: playing football to win titles.

“It’s over.” These two words plastered everywhere one day after the 2023 World Cup final, obtained from SpainDenounce first the sexual attack suffered by Beautiful Jenni By Luis Rubiales, but also a whole system of misogynist and patriarchal that allowed the sense of impunity that leads to this act to be eventually punished in the courts.

The Spanish Federation is at the heart of criticism expressed in various press releases issued by world champions, whose triumph is in the overshadow of their leader’s reprimanded behavior.

The 23 heroines were called to a rally, which they consciously sought not to participate as a protest, so they flew to Valencia against their will, under threat of suspending their clubs for several months.

The captains then took their responsibilities and began holding night meetings late with the old federation staff to decide everything right and legitimately seek real changes, having already received some superficial adjustments to persuade ‘Las 15’ to return to the national team before the World Cup.

Everything was addressed: travel conditions, accommodation, training conditions, respect for recovery time, group planning, individual intimacy, staff qualifications, children’s place for mothers, level of RFEF requirements and engagement for women’s football.

A whole number of issues that have been made daily concerns for players who are required to perform at the highest level. And their male counterparts do not have to worry about them.

Enjoying their basic ‘best’ camp

In the last European UEFA Championship, when Spain was eliminated by England In the quarter -finals, the players settled in Marlow, a village of 14,000 in the west London that is especially far from everywhere.

It also deteriorated in the 2023 World Cup, when the guard took place in Palmerston North, New Zealand, in an uncertain hotel, before changing the base camp because the facilities were inappropriate and the field was in such poor condition. The Spaniards alternated between Wellington and Auckland before flying to Sydney.

The first important change is that the team now has the systematic right to stay in five -star hotels. A cry from the immersed hotels in the industrial assets that previous generations had known.

Everything has changed since then. In Switzerland, the Spanish national team trains at Juan Antonio Samaranch stadium, one of the several training bases in the competition to meet all the standards set by UEFA.

The rest of the time, Alexia Putellas And her teammates can enjoy a base camp in Lausanne, one of the country’s largest cities, in a modern hotel connected between the Alps and Lake Geneva, “considered to be the best in the tournament” according to Sports quoted.

The place is created by RFEF as a living space where players should feel at home. Irene ParesFor example, she may meet her son Mateo in a dedicated after lunch area.

“Was is undoubtedly the best basic camp in history. And the city they have chosen for us is perfect,” SAY Patri Guijarrowho is enjoying this tournament after writing the last two competitions to look for the same improvements. “The truth is. We feel good at home.”

The Spaniards have even been able to take advantage of their strategic position between Bern and Thun, where they played their group matches, to visit the surrounding cities during their holiday days, which are also more numerous and less controlled than during the last shifts.

A complete evolution

In addition to the basic camp, a whole environment has evolved throughout the world champions to enable them to focus only on sports and their performances: a delegation of at least 60 people, specialists in each area from food communication.

“I’m enjoying this tour too much, maybe even more than in previous tours,” confesses Pares, 34, and with 118 hats in her name.

“We have come in a quiet moment, where we just want to enjoy football.”

Immediately afterwards, Montse Tome also marks evolution in the way the national team is addressed, and sees the fact that the questions asked in the wake of the single final concern football like “A big change we’ve made.”

However, the captain is careful that the guard is not too fast to rest on their laurels after years of war: “Since the World Cup final, a big progress has been achieved, but I remain convinced that we must continue to open the doors to normalize the more and more situations.

“We’ve destroyed a lot of walls. We’re a landmark for girls and boys, but we still have things to do.”