“So you won’t make the team, fatty. Lose weight” | Relief
“And they said that it was obvious that you had stopped training, especially through social networks, there were people who harshly attacked your fitness…” Garbine Muguruza was “asked” on the Laureus red carpet. The recently retired tennis player took the criticism with surprise and frankly responded: “Well, hey, if I don’t train, what should I do… I want to live life, I want to enjoy it (…) When you live more life and relax, you want to enjoy it, right? And the physique of this Olympic athlete, we all know that, let’s see, we’ll clarify (laughs)…”
The moment, which Garbiñe Muguruza resolved with amazing naturalness, spread like wildfire across social networks and became public knowledge. one of the most controversial chapters of women’s sports: the physique of its protagonists. History teaches that none of them are safe. In the case of football, which concerns us, the scene dusts off the name of former national team coach Ignacio Quereda, a sad memory for the national women’s football. To make it sound Chinese to those who think it is Chinese, the cover letter emphasizes the humiliating treatment their players suffered, their unprofessionalism or their heavy-handedness. Among many others.
“It lowered the self-esteem of the players”
Last night, RTVE The premiere of the documentary film “Selección F: from hiding places to champions” took place. The state channel is dedicated to the fierce struggle of different generations of football players of the national team, both on the field and beyond, for the development of women’s football. From the first players to wear the Spain jersey to the current world champions. “How is it possible that eight or nine years later we are not fighting for exactly the same things, but they are essentially the same thing?” – asks Vero Boquete, who stopped receiving calls from the national team after Jorge Vilda joined the bench.
But before him, Ignacio Quereda marked a whole generation of football players who defended the colors of Spain. “If things didn’t go the way he wanted, there would be screams. He was a despotic man. The football player’s self-esteem was underestimated, and therefore her performance,” says Natalia Pablos, who now works as a teacher. Ignacio Quereda’s attitude has turned the dream of wearing the national team jersey into a nightmare.
Among so many displays of disrespect, Ignacio Quereda especially liked to criticize the physique of his players, according to his protagonists. “How do you want to get into the national team if you’re fat? You can’t even run,” says Mar Prieto, who competed for the national team for 15 years. “So you won’t make the team, fatty. Lose weight. “What you need is chili up your ass.”, remember. The footballers, rather than confronting him, ended up normalizing their words and “embracing” this politics of fear. “If you had encountered him, you would have walked out,” according to Mar Prieto. “He had no retribution from anyone, he was in charge of women’s football,” he added in the report.
Vero Boquete: “When you spoke clearly, they cut off your head”
One of the most authoritative voices – and one who speaks without fear – is Vero Boquete. The current Fiorentina striker survived a change of coach and the arrival of Jorge Vilda on the national team’s bench: “The move Quereda made towards Jorge Vilda is not fair or professional. The move made by Jorge Vilda towards Montse Toma is not fair or professional. I better believe it. I hope that in the future and in the future, the necessary measures and professionalism will be taken to choose the best.”
In the documentary, he recalls a phrase he heard from an RFEF manager in 2015. “How can you do this to us who are here wasting time to be with their families so you can have a good time.” It was the concept of the people who were supposed to push us to reach our best level,” recalls the Galician striker.
In 2015, Spain players published a letter asking for changes, forcing Ignacio Quereda to leave the Spanish bench. “I think there was still a fear of the past in this whole process, and in the past, when you said something clearly to everyone, your head was cut off.” He is candid in his interview during the report, recalling the moment when the national team stopped calling him without any explanation, and comparing the situation that occurred before the 2023 World Cup to the Las 15 conflict.
“They also couldn’t be clear and say everything, because otherwise it was open clarity. In this search for balance they lost themselves. Many times I wished for more clarity press conference to say that this is what we want and what we are doing. The players were given a burden and responsibility that did not belong to them,” says Vero Boquete.