CNN –
Jorge Vilda has been fired from his position as head coach of the Spanish women’s football team. The reason for this is the ongoing unrest over the unwanted kiss that football boss Luis Rubiales gave a player at the final of the Women’s World Cup.
The move is part of a major shakeup in Spanish football since Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), forcibly kissed striker Jennifer Hermoso on August 20.
Rubiales has apologized for his actions and described the kiss as “mutual” – a claim Hermoso rejected, saying it was disrespected. World football’s governing body FIFA has handed him a 90-day ban while disciplinary proceedings are underway.
In a statement announcing Vilda’s dismissal, RFEF said he was “key to the remarkable growth of women’s football, leaving Spain as world champions and second in the FIFA rankings.”
The association described the move as “one of the first restructuring measures announced by (interim) president Pedro Rocha.”
RFEF later announced that Vilda would be replaced by his deputy Montse Tomé. She will be the first woman to lead the women’s national team and her debut game will be against Sweden on September 22nd.
Vilda has been the coach of the women’s national team since 2015. “RFEF recognizes his work at the helm of the national team and his responsibility as a sporting leader of the women’s national teams, as well as the successes achieved during his term of office, crowned with the recent success at the World Cup,” the statement continued.
Vilda’s “impeccable personal and sporting conduct” was also praised and recognized as a “key factor in the remarkable growth of women’s football in Spain.” He was described as a “promoter of the values of respect and sportsmanship in football.”
Vilda, who previously coached the Spanish U17 and U19 women’s teams, led La Roja to their first women’s World Cup title last month with a 1-0 win over England in the final.
However, the success on the pitch belies the tense atmosphere within the squad and the long-standing animosity between some of the country’s best players, Vilda’s technical staff and RFEF.
Following the team’s victories against the Netherlands and Sweden in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the World Cup, videos went viral on social media showing seemingly cold reactions from some of Spain’s substituted players to Vilda and his team, as well as post-match celebrations.
In one clip, Vilda was seen trying to celebrate with a handful of players after the win over the Netherlands, only to appear to be ignored.
The players’ dissatisfaction dates back to September last year, when 15 members of the senior national team emailed personally signed letters to RFEF announcing that they would no longer play for the national team unless it There would be extensive changes in the coaching staff.
The identical letters said that “the situation” within the Spanish national team – of which the RFEF was “aware” – had affected the players’ “emotional state” and health.
“Therefore, I do not currently see myself in a position to be called up for the national team and I ask not to be called up until the situation is resolved,” the letter said.
Of the 15 players who signed the letters, only three were in Spain’s World Cup squad: Mariona Caldentey, Aitana Bonmatí and Ona Batlle.
CNN had previously reached out to RFEF and Vilda for comment on the letter but did not receive a response. After publication, Vilda described the situation as “a global embarrassment” and said the solution was to build a team “only with players who are 100% committed to the project.”
The controversy surrounding Vilda only intensified after the World Cup final when footage from the game appeared to show him inappropriately touching a female member of staff while celebrating Spain’s goal against England. When contacted by CNN through RFEF, Vilda did not respond to questions about the incident.
When Rubiales refused to resign from his post at the federation’s extraordinary general meeting last month, he also offered his support to Vilda, saying he was in the process of offering the coach a new four-year contract worth about $542,000 (500,000 euros). Year.
“On a different level, much smaller (than my situation), but they wanted to do to you what they are doing to me now,” Rubiales said at the time.
“A false narrative to transform into truth. We suffered a lot, we went through a lot, we swallowed a lot, but we were together: you and me and your team.”
Vilda, like many others in the room, could be seen applauding Rubiales throughout the meeting. However, the following day he released a statement condemning the embattled football boss’s actions.
“I am deeply sorry that the victory of Spanish women’s football has been marred by the inappropriate behavior of our previous top leader Luis Rubiales and which he himself recognized,” Vilda said in the statement, which was widely shared by Spanish media.
Prior to Spain’s success at the Women’s World Cup, Vilda led the team to the knockout stages of the 2019 tournament and the subsequent quarterfinals at the 2017 and 2022 European Championships.
As coach of the country’s youth women’s teams, he won the U17 European Championship twice and also the U19 European Championship.