On Monday afternoon, Tome - who replaced Jorge Vilda as manager of the World Cup winners - announced her 23-player squad for Spain's upcoming Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland. The new coach selected 20 of the 39 players who, on Friday, said they would continue their boycott of the national team.
The group - including Alexia Putellas, Mapi Leon and Aitana Bonmati - were expected to end their boycott following the sacking of Vilda and the resignation of disgraced Spanish FA (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales, who is accused of kissing Jenni Hermoso without consent after the World Cup final. However, the players are demanding further changes within the RFEF so that "no woman, inside or outside of soccer, should ever have to experience again situations of disparagement, disrespect or abuse."
In response to Tome's unexpected squad announcement - of which many of the players learned of via television and social media - several players published the following statement on their social media channels on Monday evening:
"The players of the women's senior national soccer team want to state, following the call and the subsequent press conference of the new national coach, Montse Tomé, the following: What was expressed in our statement of September 15, 2023, makes clear and without any option for another interpretation our firm [group of 30 players] will not be called up for justified reasons. These statements remain in full force and effect."
"During the following days to that statement, we want to make public knowledge that nothing different from it has been transmitted to any member of the RFEF, so we expressly request that the information that is publicly transmitted is rigorous."
"We as elite professional players and after everything that happened today, we will study the possible legal consequences to which the RFEF exposes us by putting us on a list from which we had asked not to be called for reasons already explained publicly and in more detail to the RFEF, and thus take the best decision for our future and our health."
"We do think it is relevant to point out, in this regard, that the call [international call-ups] has not been made in due time and form, in accordance with art. 3.2 of Annex I of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of FIFA Players, so we understand that the RFEF is not in a position to require us to attend the same."
"We regret once again that our Federation has placed us in a situation that we would never have wished."
During her press conference on Monday, Tome said, "I trust that the players are professionals. They come from being world champions. And I know they are going to be here with us tomorrow."
Spain are scheduled to face Sweden in Gothenburg on Friday before hosting Switzerland in Cordoba on Tuesday.