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'Campeonas' pay tribute to 'our shining stars' as they make bittersweet history
22/08/2023
SPAIN'S national women's football team is recovering from a night-long street party attended by over 20,000, which started almost as soon as they had landed after their gruelling 24-hour journey from Australia, having barely caught a few hours' sleep between their World Cup final match and catching their flight.
Olga Carmona, who scored the only goal in the tense and hard-fought final against England's 'Lionesses', announced ahead of the squad's arrival that she would be joining in the huge celebrations in Madrid, despite Sunday's having been 'the best and the worst day of her life'.
The 23-year-old from Sevilla clinched victory for La Roja – 'The Reds' – with her left-footed goal within less than half an hour of the start of the 114-minute match, catching out England's Mary Earps, affectionately known as 'Mary Queen of Stops'.
Despite making Spain work hard at every step up to the end of more than 13 minutes of extra time, England was unable to find an equaliser, which thrust their Mediterranean rivals into the sporting history books: The first women's World Cup, 13 years after the first-ever and so far only men's World Cup, and the only country other than Germany to have gained one of each.
Also, Spain is the only country to hold three World titles at the same time: It is defending champion of the under-17s and under-20s World Cups.
Spain has only qualified for the 'main' World Cup three times, never before reaching the quarter-finals, Sunday's match in Sydney also saw the Lionesses make a World Cup final for the first time ever, meaning the reigning UEFA Euros winners have also made history for England, despite not winning this time.
Following the previous women's World Cup in 2019, Spain's national squad reportedly asked for a salary just above the minimum wage, and paid maternity, sickness and injury leave – but were refused, having been told that female football was 'not profitable enough' to justify their request.
Yet, just four years on, the hashtags #Campeonas and #Legendarias ('Champions' and 'Legendary', in the feminine plural), are now trending on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Olga Carmona: “The best and worst day of my life”
But as soon as the initial euphoria was over, the – somewhat controversial – medal-awarding completed, and the first live player interviews, Olga's mother took her aside to break the worst possible news: Her father, who had reportedly been ill for some time, had passed away just before the final.
Until that moment, Olga had believed her 'guardian angel' during the match was Merchi, the recently-deceased mother of her best friend – she had worn a T-shirt with Merchi's name on it under her football strip and dedicated her goal to her in her breathless post-match interview.
But she has since said her 'guiding star', her father, had been taking care of her, 'even though she did not realise it'.
Olga confirmed on Monday, though, even before La Roja's plane had landed in Madrid, that she would indeed be throwing herself into the huge open-air party awaiting the women in the capital.
“I know you would want to see me enjoying this historic moment, so I'll be there with my team mates, because wherever you are now, you'll know that this bright star in our hearts is also yours, dad,” Olga wrote on Instagram.
Supported by her colleagues, the Real Madrid legend received a standing ovation from the 20,000-plus attendants, and gave an emotional speech, paying tribute to all the players' 'shining stars' who had been 'guiding' them to victory.
“Today is incredibly special both for me and for Spain, but it also has its difficult side for me,” Olga said when she took to the mic.
“You all know that yesterday [for Sunday] was full of emotions. At times, it was the best day of my life, then later, it also became the worst day of my life.
“Here, you all have the shining star you wanted so much, but not just the one we all now carry in our hearts. There are also all those shining stars in the sky who have been by our side throughout.”
Heated debates: British Royals explain absence and RFEF chairman criticised
Sunday's ground-breaking final Down Under was laced with controversy for both teams, although the players have been keen to refocus public attention on the momentous occasion for Spain as a country – and for England, who have fared better in a World Cup than ever before since the men's team won their only title in 1966.
Although they all watched it live on TV, the UK's King Charles III and Queen Camilla did not attend the final, neither did the immediate heir to the throne, Prince William, or his wife Princess Catherine, sparking a flood of criticism on social media.
Whilst many believed it was due to the British Royals' 'green consciousness' – preferring not to take a CO2-generating long-haul flight for a short stay 'at the taxpayers' expense' – much of the public accused the King and Crown Prince of 'sexism': Had it been a men's World Cup, and particularly as Prince William is chairman of the national Football Association (FA), they would not have missed it, many said.
Their no-show was contrasted with Spain, whose Queen Letizia – wife of reigning King Felipe VI – and their youngest daughter, the Infanta Sofía, 16, had travelled to Sydney and broken protocol by hugging each and every player in the line-up for the medals.
King Felipe was unable to attend, as he was needed at home for official meetings with party leaders following the general election on July 23, and the immediate heir to the throne, Princess Leonor, 17, could not travel as she has just started her intensive three-year military training.
But the British Royal absence turned out to be a matter of protocol, explain insiders.
King Charles III, eldest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II – who passed away last September aged 96 – is also Head of State for Australia, among other Commonwealth nations, and had not yet been able to schedule an official visit since his coronation.
This meant he could not go to Australia for a non-State visit, for any other purposes; and until the Head of State had done so, none of those in line to the throne would have been allowed to, either.
Effectively, this means they would have missed the men's World Cup final, too, if it had taken place on the same date in Australia.
Heated debate has also arisen in Spain about the behaviour of an authority figure: President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, was seen making inappropriate gestures in the company of Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter, and then kissing a player full on the mouth whilst grabbing her head in both hands.
Jennifer Hermoso, 33 – the player whose well-calculated penalty shot was blocked in a jaw-dropping, super-human move by Golden Glove winner Mary Earps – is heard confirming to her friends on video in the dressing room that she was unable to avoid Rubiales' move and that she 'didn't like it'.
A later statement attributed to Jenni, issued by the RFEF, claimed it was a spontaneous act of euphoria and that her and the rest of the team's relationship with Rubiales was 'excellent'.
But another awkward moment was caught on player Salma Paralluelo's video footage, when the male president, 45, entered the women's dressing room.
He told them the RFEF was sending the team on an all-expenses-paid holiday to Ibiza, which brought forth roaring cheers, then added that, whilst there, they would be 'celebrating the wedding of Jenni Hermoso to Luis Rubiales'.
The 'joke' fell flat, other than a few nervous titters; Jenni is, in fact, already married – she and her wife, Paula Nicart, have a baby daughter.
Major public figures, including Spain's acting president Pedro Sánchez and culture and sports minister Miquel Iceta – who keeps his own husband behind the scenes to avoid the pressure of public attention – both condemned Rubiales' behaviour towards Jenni in full view of the cameras, as did acting equality minister Ione Belarra and her Podemos colleague Irene Montero.
The Dutch football federation has given similar views, and Spain's national captain and goalkeeper during the men's 2010 World Cup win, Iker Casillas, called for Rubiales to resign in a frank social media post.
After brushing off criticism as 'stupid' and 'ridiculous' at first, Rubiales gave a public apology which Sánchez, Iceta, Sra Belarra and Sra Montero have all called 'half-hearted'.
Spain praises rivals: “England's got one heck of a team”
The match itself created some low-key polemic, although mainly among England fans: The Lionesses attracted the first of two yellow cards, then Salma Paralluelo was 'awarded' a second, but viewers from the northern European region claim the referee was about to send her off and decided against it.
They said they saw her pulling a second yellow card for Salma out of her pocket – which would automatically mean a red card – and then put it back instead of holding it up.
This would not have changed the outcome of the match, however, as neither team managed to score after Olga's first-half goal.
Earlier, a penalty was awarded to Spain after a hand-ball, but the decision-making process was lengthy, causing minor tongue-in-cheek frustration among Spanish TV commentators.
The presenters, both female, jokingly said the VAR office should 'tune in to RTVE', because from the studios of Spain's main television channel, the England hand-ball was 'very clear'.
In the end, the penalty was upheld and Jenni Hermoso's face showed the immense pressure of the moment as she came forward to take the shot; England goalie Mary Earps was seen flying through the air and spinning around in an epic and unlikely manoeuvre before catching the ball and rolling to the ground, earning her collective gasps and applause from millions of national fans watching the match from the UK.
Despite the Lionesses' telling UK media they were 'heartbroken', England fans have been reassuring them en masse on social media, reminding them of their historic achievement at becoming reserve champions in a World Cup.
And La Roja has admitted their own win is an even greater feat when considering the strength and skill of their rivals, trained by the world-acclaimed Sarina Wiegman.
“We knew it was going to be complicated against England, because they've got one heck of a team,” Olga Carmona told RTVE reporters just minutes after the final whistle.
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SPAIN'S national women's football team is recovering from a night-long street party attended by over 20,000, which started almost as soon as they had landed after their gruelling 24-hour journey from Australia, having barely caught a few hours' sleep between their World Cup final match and catching their flight.
Olga Carmona, who scored the only goal in the tense and hard-fought final against England's 'Lionesses', announced ahead of the squad's arrival that she would be joining in the huge celebrations in Madrid, despite Sunday's having been 'the best and the worst day of her life'.
The 23-year-old from Sevilla clinched victory for La Roja – 'The Reds' – with her left-footed goal within less than half an hour of the start of the 114-minute match, catching out England's Mary Earps, affectionately known as 'Mary Queen of Stops'.
Despite making Spain work hard at every step up to the end of more than 13 minutes of extra time, England was unable to find an equaliser, which thrust their Mediterranean rivals into the sporting history books: The first women's World Cup, 13 years after the first-ever and so far only men's World Cup, and the only country other than Germany to have gained one of each.
Also, Spain is the only country to hold three World titles at the same time: It is defending champion of the under-17s and under-20s World Cups.
Spain has only qualified for the 'main' World Cup three times, never before reaching the quarter-finals, Sunday's match in Sydney also saw the Lionesses make a World Cup final for the first time ever, meaning the reigning UEFA Euros winners have also made history for England, despite not winning this time.
Following the previous women's World Cup in 2019, Spain's national squad reportedly asked for a salary just above the minimum wage, and paid maternity, sickness and injury leave – but were refused, having been told that female football was 'not profitable enough' to justify their request.
Yet, just four years on, the hashtags #Campeonas and #Legendarias ('Champions' and 'Legendary', in the feminine plural), are now trending on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Olga Carmona: “The best and worst day of my life”
But as soon as the initial euphoria was over, the – somewhat controversial – medal-awarding completed, and the first live player interviews, Olga's mother took her aside to break the worst possible news: Her father, who had reportedly been ill for some time, had passed away just before the final.
Until that moment, Olga had believed her 'guardian angel' during the match was Merchi, the recently-deceased mother of her best friend – she had worn a T-shirt with Merchi's name on it under her football strip and dedicated her goal to her in her breathless post-match interview.
But she has since said her 'guiding star', her father, had been taking care of her, 'even though she did not realise it'.
Olga confirmed on Monday, though, even before La Roja's plane had landed in Madrid, that she would indeed be throwing herself into the huge open-air party awaiting the women in the capital.
“I know you would want to see me enjoying this historic moment, so I'll be there with my team mates, because wherever you are now, you'll know that this bright star in our hearts is also yours, dad,” Olga wrote on Instagram.
Supported by her colleagues, the Real Madrid legend received a standing ovation from the 20,000-plus attendants, and gave an emotional speech, paying tribute to all the players' 'shining stars' who had been 'guiding' them to victory.
“Today is incredibly special both for me and for Spain, but it also has its difficult side for me,” Olga said when she took to the mic.
“You all know that yesterday [for Sunday] was full of emotions. At times, it was the best day of my life, then later, it also became the worst day of my life.
“Here, you all have the shining star you wanted so much, but not just the one we all now carry in our hearts. There are also all those shining stars in the sky who have been by our side throughout.”
Heated debates: British Royals explain absence and RFEF chairman criticised
Sunday's ground-breaking final Down Under was laced with controversy for both teams, although the players have been keen to refocus public attention on the momentous occasion for Spain as a country – and for England, who have fared better in a World Cup than ever before since the men's team won their only title in 1966.
Although they all watched it live on TV, the UK's King Charles III and Queen Camilla did not attend the final, neither did the immediate heir to the throne, Prince William, or his wife Princess Catherine, sparking a flood of criticism on social media.
Whilst many believed it was due to the British Royals' 'green consciousness' – preferring not to take a CO2-generating long-haul flight for a short stay 'at the taxpayers' expense' – much of the public accused the King and Crown Prince of 'sexism': Had it been a men's World Cup, and particularly as Prince William is chairman of the national Football Association (FA), they would not have missed it, many said.
Their no-show was contrasted with Spain, whose Queen Letizia – wife of reigning King Felipe VI – and their youngest daughter, the Infanta Sofía, 16, had travelled to Sydney and broken protocol by hugging each and every player in the line-up for the medals.
King Felipe was unable to attend, as he was needed at home for official meetings with party leaders following the general election on July 23, and the immediate heir to the throne, Princess Leonor, 17, could not travel as she has just started her intensive three-year military training.
But the British Royal absence turned out to be a matter of protocol, explain insiders.
King Charles III, eldest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II – who passed away last September aged 96 – is also Head of State for Australia, among other Commonwealth nations, and had not yet been able to schedule an official visit since his coronation.
This meant he could not go to Australia for a non-State visit, for any other purposes; and until the Head of State had done so, none of those in line to the throne would have been allowed to, either.
Effectively, this means they would have missed the men's World Cup final, too, if it had taken place on the same date in Australia.
Heated debate has also arisen in Spain about the behaviour of an authority figure: President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, was seen making inappropriate gestures in the company of Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter, and then kissing a player full on the mouth whilst grabbing her head in both hands.
Jennifer Hermoso, 33 – the player whose well-calculated penalty shot was blocked in a jaw-dropping, super-human move by Golden Glove winner Mary Earps – is heard confirming to her friends on video in the dressing room that she was unable to avoid Rubiales' move and that she 'didn't like it'.
A later statement attributed to Jenni, issued by the RFEF, claimed it was a spontaneous act of euphoria and that her and the rest of the team's relationship with Rubiales was 'excellent'.
But another awkward moment was caught on player Salma Paralluelo's video footage, when the male president, 45, entered the women's dressing room.
He told them the RFEF was sending the team on an all-expenses-paid holiday to Ibiza, which brought forth roaring cheers, then added that, whilst there, they would be 'celebrating the wedding of Jenni Hermoso to Luis Rubiales'.
The 'joke' fell flat, other than a few nervous titters; Jenni is, in fact, already married – she and her wife, Paula Nicart, have a baby daughter.
Major public figures, including Spain's acting president Pedro Sánchez and culture and sports minister Miquel Iceta – who keeps his own husband behind the scenes to avoid the pressure of public attention – both condemned Rubiales' behaviour towards Jenni in full view of the cameras, as did acting equality minister Ione Belarra and her Podemos colleague Irene Montero.
The Dutch football federation has given similar views, and Spain's national captain and goalkeeper during the men's 2010 World Cup win, Iker Casillas, called for Rubiales to resign in a frank social media post.
After brushing off criticism as 'stupid' and 'ridiculous' at first, Rubiales gave a public apology which Sánchez, Iceta, Sra Belarra and Sra Montero have all called 'half-hearted'.
Spain praises rivals: “England's got one heck of a team”
The match itself created some low-key polemic, although mainly among England fans: The Lionesses attracted the first of two yellow cards, then Salma Paralluelo was 'awarded' a second, but viewers from the northern European region claim the referee was about to send her off and decided against it.
They said they saw her pulling a second yellow card for Salma out of her pocket – which would automatically mean a red card – and then put it back instead of holding it up.
This would not have changed the outcome of the match, however, as neither team managed to score after Olga's first-half goal.
Earlier, a penalty was awarded to Spain after a hand-ball, but the decision-making process was lengthy, causing minor tongue-in-cheek frustration among Spanish TV commentators.
The presenters, both female, jokingly said the VAR office should 'tune in to RTVE', because from the studios of Spain's main television channel, the England hand-ball was 'very clear'.
In the end, the penalty was upheld and Jenni Hermoso's face showed the immense pressure of the moment as she came forward to take the shot; England goalie Mary Earps was seen flying through the air and spinning around in an epic and unlikely manoeuvre before catching the ball and rolling to the ground, earning her collective gasps and applause from millions of national fans watching the match from the UK.
Despite the Lionesses' telling UK media they were 'heartbroken', England fans have been reassuring them en masse on social media, reminding them of their historic achievement at becoming reserve champions in a World Cup.
And La Roja has admitted their own win is an even greater feat when considering the strength and skill of their rivals, trained by the world-acclaimed Sarina Wiegman.
“We knew it was going to be complicated against England, because they've got one heck of a team,” Olga Carmona told RTVE reporters just minutes after the final whistle.
Related Topics
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