BBC SPORT
Spain players who had said they are boycotting the national team have turned up for international duty.
Players launched the boycott after the Spanish Football Federation’s former president Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso after the Women’s World Cup final last month.
However, there are still doubts over whether the players will play in forthcoming Nations League games.
Spain play Sweden on Friday then face Switzerland on Tuesday.
Six players living in Madrid arrived at a hotel in the capital city before leaving to join up with the rest of the team in Valencia, where they will train before heading to Sweden on Thursday.
The six include five players from Real Madrid – Olga Carmona, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final win over England, Misa Rodriguez, Oihane Hernandez, Teresa Abelleira and Athenea del Castillo, and Atletico Madrid forward Eva Navarro.
Bar Del Castillo, the players have all said they support the boycott.
Asked by a reporter if she was happy to be in the squad, goalkeeper Rodriguez replied “no” as she arrived at the hotel.
A number of Barcelona-based players – including two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas – have also travelled to the camp near Valencia.
When asked by reporters at Barcelona airport how she felt about the situation, Putellas replied: “Well, bad.”
Barcelona team-mate Mapi Leon also expressed disquiet when asked by reporters, saying: “We have to talk long and hard about if we are coming to a safe place or not when we have been forced to come.
“We have been forced to come. But if they want to sanction us [for staying away], then we have to come.”
Spanish journalist Guillem Balague says the players have reported to the camp because of the legal repercussions of not turning up which include being banned from the national side and fines.
The players are expected to meet with the federation and government to continue negotiations having previously called for changes to the federation.
Victor Francos, the head of the Spanish government’s national sports agency, told SER radio station if the players did not show up “the government must apply the law”.
The Spanish government also wants to see their newly crowned world champions qualify for next year’s Olympic Games, with the two finalists from the inaugural women’s Nations League qualifying for Paris 2024.
“We want there to be changes, for them to be quick, for the confidence of the players to be restored and, most importantly, what we want is to see them play and see them win,” government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez said on Tuesday.
Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson said the potential boycott had not affected his side’s preparations for Friday’s Group A4 match.
“Naturally, we’d like to have that information, but it isn’t anything that I need for this training session or for tomorrow,” he said.
‘Players will have avoided sanctions’ – analysis
Spanish football journalist Ernest Macia told BBC Radio 5 Live that all of the players called up to Tome’s Nations League squad were expected to arrive in Valencia by the end of Tuesday.
“The Spanish federation issued train tickets this morning, tourist class, for Barcelona players to go there [Valencia],” Macia said.
“The lawyers and the Spanish authorities have said ‘If you don’t go there, we would suspend you for two years without being able to play football for Barcelona or with Madrid, or whatever’. So the players have to go.”
The players will have avoided sanctions by reporting for international…
