Spain female players to quit national team over coach

By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer

MADRID (AP) — Fifteen female soccer players are expected to quit Spain’s national team after their demand for a coaching change was rejected by the Spanish federation. The federation said it received identical emails from the players saying they would renounce their places on the team if coach Jorge Vilda wasn’t fired. The federation said that, according to the players, the situation “significantly” affected their “emotional state” and their health. The federation did not elaborate on the “situation” or name the players who made the demand. Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas reportedly was not among them.