England’s midfielder Keira Walsh hopes that opponents can enjoy “Anand” without “controversy” to opponents Spain, which surrounds the World Cup.
Spain defeated England 1–0 in the 2023 final, but his victory was associated with striker Jenny Harmoso in connection with the sexual harassment of former football federation boss Luis Rubials.
As the players won their medals in Sydney, Rubiyals grabbed Hermoso from the head and kissed it on the lips. He was found guilty of sexual harassment in February.
England booked their place in Sunday’s Euro 2025 final (17:00 BST) with an additional time win over Italy, while Spain also needed 120 minutes to see Germany.
Walsh said, “There is a lot of respect between the two teams and I think the most important thing for him as a footballer is that they can enjoy this final-that there is no dispute around it,” Walsh said, who performed 100 performances for Barcelona in two-and-a-half seasons.
“Girls are worth playing incredible football. The way we jumped our league after winning the euro [in 2022] – If you compare it to Spain, it was probably not the same and they won the World Cup.
“There was a lot of controversy after the final and I don’t think for him, there was enough spotlight on how incredible he had played. It was all about other items.
“As a professional, it was disappointing to see. I have a lot of friends in that team and I think they probably had a little more worthy than what they got.”
In September, arsenal forward Mariona Caldant said that more Spanish players were going to the women’s super league because “we won the World Cup and it did not change anything”.
Following the court’s verdict in February, Spain’s Ballon D’Or winner Aitana Bonmati said that the players “gave a tough competition” during the rubellas case and it was “not meaningless”.
“I hope this matter is in our country, in our football, as footballers, as a better respect,” he said.
