Montse Tomé, on El Larguero: "I felt loved. It doesn't hurt that the players didn't say goodbye to me publicly."

Former Spanish national team coach Montse Tomé broke her silence on Tuesday night, a day after the board of directors of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) approved the non-renewal of her contract , which expires at the end of August. She will be replaced by Sonia Bermúdez, a former footballer and coach in the lower categories of the women's national team.

Tomé's departure is a response to the decision of Reyes Bellver, the new head of sporting affairs for the women's national team, who is aiming for what the federation calls a "change of model." She is the one who is backing Bermúdez and paving the way for the former national team coach , who won a Nations League title just months after taking office, reached the semifinals of the Paris Olympics last summer, and reached the European Championship final less than a month ago. The Asturian coach explained on Tuesday that she doesn't understand her departure, as she had a commitment from the president of the Federation, Rafael Louzán: "He has broken the promise he had specifically given me regarding his continued service; everything that happened since the final was something that was difficult for me to process. I am disappointed with how everything was handled."

Furthermore, regarding the fact that none of the players said goodbye to her via social media, Montse Tomé asserted that they had done so privately: “I've had calls from team players, many players have written messages to me, and I've always felt very respected and loved by all of them. I don't value the fact that they do it on their social media. It doesn't hurt me. I've been able to talk to players, I've had many messages from many people. I feel very loved and valued. I don't notice whether they've posted it on social media or not. Some players have written to me or called me, and that's real. I've had a very professional relationship with all of them, and I've really enjoyed it.”

Throughout the interview, Montse Tomé also rejected the idea that the players had decided to dismiss her and revealed whether the Federation had pressured her to not call up Jenni Hermoso for the European Championship: "Since I was appointed coach, they've let me act professionally under my sporting criteria. No one has ever told me to bring this or that player. I've never had to send the list to any president, they've never asked me for an explanation. In fact, I've had to go to court to defend why a player wasn't included. It didn't hurt me, it seemed strange to me... I said, 'I came here to explain why I didn't call up a player...'"