Spain have just announced their latest squad. The last time players were striking, none of them were called up. This time, some have been selected - even Mapi Leon and Patri, who refused to go back even for the sake of a World Cup *
Of the 23 in this squad, 15 were at the World Cup. 2 of those have, in the last week, broken rank and declared themselves available for the national team. But in total, 21 of the 23 are part of the strike group.
Who even knows what happens next. The potential repercussions should the players not turn up go far beyond FIFA action. RFEF issues every player in Spain with a playing licence, and it's a quirk of Spanish employment law that refusing a national team call up can result in that licence being revoked, which would prevent players from fulfilling even their club duties. Players could also be sued / fined 30k. And then on the actual match fulfilment side of things, we could see forfeits being necessary. Even if the players do turn up, they might well take to the pitch just to sit down on it.
*edit: missed this part in all the drama, but Claudia Pina - who remained with Mapi and Patri in sitting out the WC - has also been selected... but not for the seniors. She's been called up just to be able to kick her back down to the u23s. RFEF really are just out to be spiteful bastards, to these three in particular.
