Spain’s stolen glory

United Red Fury: Spain’s players stand in a huddle ahead of the Women’s World Cup final against England at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Aug 20 which they went on to win 1-0. — AFP

WORDLESSLY, their eyes fixed straight ahead, Spain’s players filed in to the Alameda Hotel not far from Madrid’s airport. It had been a month, almost to the day, since they won the World Cup. It should have been a joyful reunion, a welcome and gleeful chance for the women to revel in the greatest glory of their careers. Instead, they looked as if they were heading into battle.

In a way, of course, they were. Many of Spain’s players have been locked in open conflict with the country’s football federation – their employer, in effect – for more than a year. The disagreement expanded to envelop almost all of them pretty much from the moment the whistle blew to end the World Cup final.