England's Keira Walsh has called Patri Guijarro’s absence from this summer’s Women's World Cup a “shame” and expressed her disbelief that the Spanish FA (Rfef) is not doing “everything possible” to ensure her Barcelona teammate is competing in Australia and New Zealand.
The Spanish national team has been engulfed in an internal crisis following last summer’s European Championships, with 15 Spanish players, including Patri, refusing to feature for the national team due to differences with manager Jorge Vilda.
The governing body declared that the players were operating outside their remits and threatened five-year bans for the ‘rebel 15’.
Nevertheless, following Barcelona’s Champions League triumph, Player of the Match Patri reaffirmed her stance that she would not be available for World Cup selection until a resolution was found, echoing the sentiments of club teammates Mapi Leon and Aitana Bonmatí.
