Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan have backed the players boycotting Spain’s national team.

Stars such as Mapi León, Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí and Sandra Paños have found themselves in the middle of a dispute with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

They are among the 15 players who emailed the governing body to claim that coach Jorge Vilda was impacting their “emotional state”.

The RFEF claimed the players had threatened to resign from the national team if Vilda was not dismissed.

But the players later protested this was not the case, and they were disappointed the RFEF had made their “private communication” public.

"In no case have we resigned from the Spanish national team as the RFEF points out in their official statement," they said.

But they admitted they had asked not to be called up because of "situations that affect our emotional and personal state, our performance, and consequently the results of the national team".

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - JULY 20: Esther Gonzalez celebrates with teammates Mariona Caldentey and Mapi Leon of Spain after scoring their team's first goal during the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Quarter Final match between England and Spain at Brighton & Hove Community Stadium on July 20, 2022 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Backed by Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan

The Spanish players have received support from Rapinoe and Morgan, two of the most successful football stars from the US.

Rapinoe posted a message of encouragement on her Instagram account, writing: “You got a 16th standing with you… this many players together like this is so powerful. We should all listen”.

Morgan, currently the top goalscorer in the NWSL, commented on the situation on Twitter.

“This is so hard to watch knowing the federation is throwing their players under the bus for players asking for better protection, treatment, and professionalism,” she wrote. “Players (the BEST players in Spain) deserve so much better.”

Both Rapinoe and Morgan have been vocal in the battle to achieve equal pay for the US women’s national team. They finally achieved this earlier this year, officially signing the historic collective bargaining agreement at the start of September.

Which players are boycotting the Spanish national team?

Ainhoa Vicente Moraza, Patri Guijarro, Leila Ouahabi, Lucia Garcia, Laia Aleixandri, Claudia Pina, Andrea Pereira, Mariona Caldentey, Lola Gallardo, Nerea Eizaguirre and Amaiur Sarriegi joined León, Batlle, Bonmatí and Paños in submitting an email.

Ballon d’Or winner and Barcelona star Putellas was not believed to be among the 15 players involved, but she later published a statement clarifying the situation.

The 28-year-old is currently on the sidelines after suffering an ACL injury just days before the start of Euro 2022.

The players are now at risk of being handed a long-term suspension from the RFEF, who want those involved to “accept their mistakes and ask for forgiveness”.