“The questions about Jenni are recurrent, and I’ve always answered them with great respect,” Tome said. “We had a conversation when she came to the first FIFA break and didn’t have many minutes. We’ve assessed what she’s done with her club, just like we did with the rest of the players, and we’ve spoken with her coach. There’s a lot of competition in her position … I think we’ve conducted a very professional analysis.” Hermoso, the all-time leading scorer for Spain’s national team with 57 goals in 123 matches, was left out of the squad right after the scandal broke, when Tome said she was protecting the player. Hermoso was back with the squad after that, but the coach had said after the Olympics that a new cycle was beginning in the national team. In addition to winning the World Cup in 2023, Spain also won last year’s Nations League title. In February, a Spanish court ruled that Rubiales had sexually abused Hermoso when he kissed her without consent. Spain’s National Court ordered Rubiales to pay more than 10,000 euros ($10,400 then) in fines and prohibited him from getting within 200 meters of Hermoso or communicating with her for a year.