“I don’t know if Vilda-player’s understanding is possible, but there are positive steps being taken”

The Union FUTPRO entered the world of women’s football with force, gaining great relevance in a short time to the point where she was chosen to mediate in the conflict between several Spanish internationals and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The president, the Catalan Amanda Gutiérrez, gave an interview to EFE.

What assessment do you make of the first weeks of professional football?

I think the word ‘chaos’. The creation of the new league brought about very positive things like the ability to organize itself but also some negative things like the fights or obstacles that seem to exist between the league and the federation.

It’s all supposed to be happiness and fun but right now there seems to be more noise and non-sporting issues to deal with in the offices than football, right?

Yes, it is also true that it is not easy to create a new institution, it takes time. Excitement is something that will accompany a new thing like the league. But if there are some points in that mess that shouldn’t exist, it should be a cleaner transition. At some point we have situations where we have to go to the Higher Sports Council to resolve controversies

What response do you get from players? Did your experience meet your expectations or did you expect more or something different?

There are more expectations, an easier transition. We have encountered a series of conflicts that tarnish the good name of women’s football. For a long time, we were able to give women’s football a very noble, very clear image. And now everything seems to be getting dirty because the problems are being brought into the media spotlight. That doesn’t help the good image of women’s football and we players think that it can have consequences when brands want to continue investing in women’s football, that they don’t like the situation and decide to leave

Following the league, steps forward continue to be made in the collective agreement. At what point are they?

We had several meetings and I think the conclusion could be positive because we found a league that knows that we are a professional league and should treat the players as such. At the last meeting, the unions put the red lines on the table and now it is up to the league to make a proposal regarding it. From there it’s time to negotiate

In it there are two aspects that focus on the eyes. One is the minimum wage. Where do you want to go? Are the postures close or far from that?

We haven’t started talking about figures and we don’t know if we are close or far. The league asks us to consider the money they have, but the argument of the unions is not about charging what you make, but you have to pay like a player who is in a professional league. I can’t say whether the positions are far apart or not, we might be surprised when we face the numbers.

Do you think you can get that surprise? Is that waiting?

I want to be positive and think that this league has in mind that its most important asset is the players, without them none of it exists. They need to earn what they deserve, to survive when they finish their professional career. This is something that at the current salary, you don’t have

Another related issue is the reconciliation of football and motherhood. Will the day come when a player can decide to become a mother while being active and it won’t affect her professional development?

That’s what we want and right now we don’t see any kind of ban from the league, I think we’ll get it. But more long-term work needs to be done, a series of studies on how to train during pregnancy and in the postpartum period, how to adapt the work so that the players can return to their profession in the best possible way.

I also ask him about the end-of-course fund. The National High Court established that women cannot be forced to join another union, AFE, to access it. Does that put you off FUTPRO?

Yes. Some players told us that they didn’t join FUTPRO because otherwise AFE wouldn’t give them that funding. When we consulted the legal team, we realized that they had already been convicted in 2018 for this issue, as Futbolistas ON had already filed a case in the same vein. Although it was not a good dish, we had to sue and the verdict was very clear. There was discrimination and they were asking them to stop that behavior. Now everyone can receive funding regardless of the union they join

Do you think other associations fear the same rapid growth they seem to be experiencing? Is it time for everyone to understand that a healthy coexistence is necessary for the good of women’s football?

It’s surprising to think that there are people who don’t think that way. In FUTPRO, we are not against any institution, I think, at the union level, it is important that we have a good relationship. We want the same thing and there is no sense in fighting each other because it is important to give an image of unity.

His work has received an important ‘prize’ or ‘punishment’, depending on how you look at it, as mediating between internationals who have shown their discomfort with the situation of the Spanish national team and the other party. Will we see them all with ‘La Roja’ at the 2023 World Cup under Jorge Vilda or could there be just one left?

We do not stop working to improve this situation. We work for them all and we look at their perspective, the full internationals and the lesser ones, to find what benefits women’s football the most. I trust that this work will help to create an understanding between both sides because I believe that this is the best way to build and not to destroy.

Is that understanding feasible with Vilda on the bench?

I do not know. At the point where we are, it is important not to give too many details for mediation. But I can say that we are making steps forward in a sense that I consider very positive.

Are the coach and the federation clear on what the players want? The feeling it gives is that there are some requests floating in the air, but from the outside it is not clear.

Since we reached out to talk, it was one of the aspects that we want to ensure, that the federation knows what they need or what the players are demanding. We have worked so that the federation understands what is being asked, always in a constructive way. I hope the federation knows how to listen to the players to improve Spanish women’s football

What would be the ideal scenario for everyone in all aspects, when the month of July comes when the league ends and the World Cup starts? What accomplished goals will allow them to go on vacation with a clear conscience?

A collective agreement made and signed and having the opportunity to see how the infrastructure of the federation in terms of women’s football is positive and constructive so that it allows us to face the World Cup with all possible guarantees