Tag: FIFA World Cup

Vera Pauw out as Ireland women’s head coach

The 60-year-old is a controversial figure following allegations of body shaming and excessive control

Vera Pauw will not be offered a new contract as Ireland women’s national team head coach, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has confirmed.

Pauw’s current deal will expire on Thursday and following a lengthy meeting on Tuesday, the FAI confirmed that the Dutchwomen’s four-year spell in charge will end.

“On behalf of the Football Association of Ireland, we would like to thank Vera for her hard work and commitment over the past four years and wish her well for the future,” said Jonathan Hill, the FAI chief executive in a statement.

“In particular, I wish to acknowledge the role she played in leading Ireland to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 where our women’s team made history and inspired a nation,” he added.

“The future is bright for women and girls’ football and our focus now is building upon the work done by Vera and the historic achievements of our women’s team, which we see as a platform to support the next phase of the journey for the team, and more broadly the development of women and girls’ football in this country.”

Pauw led Ireland to the women’s World Cup for the first time ever this summer, with the team exiting in the group stage following defeats to Australia and Canada and a draw with Nigeria.

The 60-year-old has become a controversial figure in the coaching world after allegations of body shaming and excessive control were made against her in last year’s NWSL/NWSLPA joint investigation.

As a result, Pauw was conditionally banned from the NWSL.

Pauw, who coached the Houston Dash for one season in 2018, has vehemently denied the allegations against her, saying earlier this year: “These allegations in the report are absolutely ridiculous and false. There is no truth in it, and I know I find a lot of safety in the truth.”

Ahead of the World Cup, Ireland captain Katie McCabe called the allegations “a real negative distraction” after a media session in which Pauw stated “there is a person that is targeted to destroy my career.”

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Spanish federation, for some reason, launches bizarre defense of Luis Rubiales

The RFEF is going to keep digging

When you find yourself in a hole, the Spanish soccer federation’s advice is to just keep digging.

That’s the only conclusion that can be drawn from an extraordinary public statement published by the federation (RFEF) after midnight on Saturday in Spain, which purported to defend its president, Luis Rubiales.

Rubiales has come under intense criticism for his actions following Spain’s World Cup final victory, which include kissing attacker Jenni Hermoso on the lips — an act Hermoso has called non-consensual in public statements — calling the team together to announce that he would marry Hermoso in Ibiza, and grabbing at his nether regions while celebrating at full time.

“The RFEF announces the presentation of as many legal actions as may correspond in defense of the honorability of the President of the RFEF who has exposed in a clear and simple way how the events that are the cause of conflict and ridicule on the part of broad sectors of the society occurred against [Rubiales],” read the RFEF statement.

Going much further than this, the statement then claimed “that the facts exposed by Mr. President are absolutely true and that he is not lying,” offering as proof a four-photo slideshow claiming to prove that Hermoso lifted the (much larger) Rubiales, and that this lift exonerated the federation head.

This allegation comes despite video from the trophy ceremony showing Rubiales, very much with his feet on the stage throughout an overly long hug that ended with a kiss that Hermoso called “an act without any consent on my part” in a social media post of her own.

Rubiales was criticized most pointedly for the kiss, eventually offering a tepid apology. The reaction grew louder, with the acting prime minister and second deputy prime minister among the voices calling for a more thorough apology or Rubiales’ resignation.

While he was reportedly on the verge of doing so, and just one day after FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against him, Rubiales instead chose to lash out at his critics, declaring that he would not resign at an RFEF meeting. In a particularly grim coda, this declaration was met with a round of applause from the heavily male officials and observers present.

If these do not sound like the appropriate actions for a federation president to you, that’s probably because you are anyone but the decision-makers at the RFEF.

RFEF defiant in face of criticism

Since then, the condemnation from around the soccer world has grown into a deafening roar. Spain’s players — you know, the ones that literally just won the World Cup — signed a collective letter saying that none of them would play for the federation until “sporting and structural changes” were implemented. Spain men’s forward Borja Iglesias said he, too, would refuse call-ups as long as Rubiales is in place. Multiple Spanish clubs called for Rubiales to go, as did star players from around the soccer and sporting world.

Unfortunately, those expecting the quick and obvious resolution that would be Rubiales’ dismissal are probably not going to get what they want. The RFEF is nothing if not utterly defiant, much in the manner that it offered a pro-Jorge Vilda post to social media moments after the end of the final, and in its handling of 15 Spain players calling for Vilda’s ouster and other changes late in 2022.

Perhaps the most telling scene amid all of this is that applause Rubiales got when loudly and repeatedly going on about how he wouldn’t resign. Vilda and Spain men’s head coach Luis de la Fuente — both Spanish federation lifers who have not held coaching positions anywhere outside of the country’s youth national team programs in over a decade — were shown on camera joining that applause, choosing fealty to a powerful functionary over simple human respect and decency.

If the RFEF had enough voices in-house calling for Rubiales to go, he’d be gone. A man like him will be a problem in a position of power, but only as long as he’s given support and protection from those like him.

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World Cup champion Spain on strike after Rubiales refuses to step down

Jenni Hermoso has also rejected a claim from the federation president that his kiss was consensual

The entire Spain roster that won the 2023 World Cup said in a joint statement that they will not play for the national team as long as “current leaders” continue in their positions.

The letter, released through the Spanish players’ union FUTPRO, was issued as a response to an extraordinary speech given by Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales earlier on Friday, during which he refused to resign despite widespread reports he would do so.

Rubiales has been under huge pressure after his kiss on the lips of Spain star Jenni Hermoso following Sunday’s World Cup final.

In his speech on Friday, Rubiales insisted that Hermoso had consented to the kiss. But in the letter from FUTPRO, Hermoso flatly denied having done so.

“I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me and, of course, in no case did I seek to lift up the president. I do not tolerate my word being questioned, much less words that I haven’t said be made up,” Hermoso said.

A total of 81 players from Spain’s past and present signed the letter, including all 23 on the World Cup roster.

It was unclear if the Spanish players were calling for the ouster of anyone other than Rubiales. The team’s issues with the RFEF long predate the incident between Rubiales and Hermoso, with 15 players going on strike last fall to protest poor working conditions and the methods of head coach Jorge Vilda.

The RFEF, led by Rubiales, backed Vilda, who stayed in charge through the World Cup. Of the 15 players who initially revolted last fall, only three returned to the World Cup roster.

Full letter from Spain women’s national team

As a result of the events that took place this morning and given the perplexity of the speech delivered by the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Mr. Luis Manuel Rubiales Béjar, the players of the senior team, recent world champions, in support of Jennifer Hermoso, want to express their firm and resounding condemnation of behaviors that have violated the dignity of women.

In view of the statements made by the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Jennifer Hermoso wants to flatly deny that she consented to the kiss that Don Luis Manuel Rubiales Béjar gave her in the World Cup Final. 

“I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me and, of course, in no case did I seek to lift up the president. I do not tolerate my word being questioned, much less words that I haven’t said be made up,” says Hermoso.

From our union we want to emphasize that no woman should feel the need to respond to the forceful images that the whole world has seen and of course, they should not be involved in non-consensual attitudes.

The players of the Spanish national team, current world champions, expect forceful answers from the public powers so that actions such as those contained do not go unpunished.

We want to end this statement, asking for real changes, both sporting and structural, that help the national team to continue growing, in order to transfer this great success to later generations. It fills us with sadness that such an unacceptable event is managing to tarnish the greatest sporting success of Spanish women’s football.

After everything that happened during the Women’s World Cup, we want to state that all the players who sign this letter will not return a call for the national team if the current leaders continue.

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Ashley Sanchez: USWNT World Cup role ‘not what I had planned’

Sanchez called the USWNT’s World Cup trip ‘a tough experience’

It’s safe to say that no one associated with the U.S. women’s national team had the World Cup they had envisioned.

Few players are likely feeling that as keenly as Ashley Sanchez.

The Washington Spirit playmaker did not play a single second for the USWNT at the World Cup, a wholly unexpected turn of events that has resulted in plenty of criticism for the team’s former coach, Vlatko Andonovski.

Speaking to reporters after her NWSL club’s training session on Wednesday, Sanchez declined to go into much depth about how the World Cup went for her, only conceding that she had imagined the experience would be different than it was.

“I probably shouldn’t comment on that,” said Sanchez. “Let’s just say the role was not what I had planned.”

Sanchez had solid reason to plan on some real minutes at this World Cup. For one thing, the USWNT ended the tournament on a 238-minute run without scoring a goal, the last 120 of which came with Rose Lavelle suspended. The realities of the tournament seemed to strongly indicate a need for a creative player whose whole career is predicated on opening up opposing defenses.

Additionally, Sanchez had become a regular under Andonovski. After receiving her first cap in a November 2021 win over Australia, the 24-year-old had appeared in 25 of a possible 28 USWNT matches heading into the World Cup, including a start in the team’s send-off friendly win over Wales.

Instead, Andonovski — who had raised eyebrows already by including three No. 10s, including Sanchez, on his roster — opted to start Savannah DeMelo against Vietnam and the Netherlands. Lavelle’s only start of the tournament came against Portugal, while a formation change saw Lindsey Horan deployed in a more attacking role for the team’s final game, a round of 16 loss on penalties against Sweden.

Sanchez would join center back Alana Cook, another previously established regular for Andonovski, as the only two field players who spent the entire four-game run on the bench.

Speaking more generally about the USWNT’s World Cup, Sanchez called the event “a tough experience” for the team, adding that her full attention has now shifted to Washington’s NWSL stretch run.

“Obviously we needed time to process what happened, but as soon as it was over and we’re back here, our main focus is on the Spirit,” said Sanchez. “We can’t really look back and be thinking in the past anymore, and we have a new goal to be obviously champions again. So I think that’s our sole focus right now.”

Sanchez’s teammates for club and country were quick to note that even though Sanchez was deprived of a role on the field, she still offered the USWNT everything she could throughout the tournament.

“I was so impressed with Sanchez, because obviously that is such a difficult situation,” Andi Sullivan told reporters. “I think we’re all aware that that can happen to any of us at any point. And she was so steady, at least front-facing to the group, which is part of the [USWNT] culture.

“She was contributing a lot as a teammate. Because like we said, there’s so much stress and tension, and she had the loudest laugh, making jokes, especially around the meal room… She was still giving, and giving such an important aspect to the group. So I’m really impressed with her, and proud of her.”

“I think she handled it as well she could have,” added Aubrey Kingsbury, who like Sanchez was confined to the bench as Alyssa Naeher remained first-choice in goal. “We understand that you have to embrace the role you’ve been given, even if you don’t really like it.”

Sanchez: ‘It’s hard to really process’ World Cup

Regardless of how difficult the World Cup experience was, Sanchez has already taken steps to put it behind her. Making her Spirit return off the bench against the Houston Dash in Sunday’s 1-1 draw, Sanchez scored what was clearly a statement goal roughly 40 seconds after entering as a substitute.

“That felt really good,” Sanchez conceded with a smile. “Honestly, yeah, I needed that.”

“I was laughing maniacally,” said Sullivan, who watched the game from home as she recovered from playing every minute at the World Cup.

Trinity Rodman, who like Sullivan was granted a few extra days to rest after the tournament, added that she “jumped off the couch and started screaming” as Sanchez scored.

“I saw it coming from a mile away, as soon as she started dribbling up the field,” said Rodman. “I was like ‘yup, she’s baaaack!'”

In a follow-up interview with Pro Soccer Wire, Sanchez said there were also more practical concerns in putting the World Cup behind her. Namely, she had to do battle with the major jet lag upon returning to the D.C. suburbs.

“The first two days I was waking up just so early, and couldn’t go back to sleep,” said Sanchez. “I hit the third or fourth day and I slept the whole entire day. And then since then, it’s been good.”

On the tournament as a whole, Sanchez admitted that while she knows going to a World Cup is an achievement in and of itself, it might be a while before she feels that way about an experience that didn’t follow the script.

“I feel like for me, it hasn’t really sunk in. I feel like we got back and we just like started getting into it again,” said Sanchez. “It’s hard to really process, but I feel like we didn’t achieve what we wanted to, and I feel like until we do, it’s not going to feel like an accomplishment [for me], if that makes sense. Like it is an accomplishment, but ultimately our goal was to win, so it doesn’t feel the same.”

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USWNT drops to all-time low FIFA ranking after World Cup failure

It’s the first time the USWNT is outside the top two since the rankings were introduced in 2003

For the first time in the history of the FIFA women’s rankings, the U.S. women’s national team has dropped out of the top two.

The USWNT dropped from first to third in the newest edition of the rankings, which were released on Friday. Sweden, which eliminated the USWNT in the World Cup round of 16 and ultimately finished third, moved from third in the rankings to first.

Spain, the World Cup champion, moved from sixth to second.

The USWNT had been atop the FIFA world rankings for six years, having held the top spot since June 2017. Since FIFA introduced the rankings in 2003, the USWNT had always been in the top two.

The fallout from the USWNT’s World Cup failure has been swift. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski stepped down last week after four years at the helm, and was replaced by Twila Kilgore on an interim basis.

This week, USWNT captain Lindsey Horan made some eye-opening comments about the World Cup, stating her belief that the team wasn’t adequately set up to succeed, and hinting that the structural changes made for the Sweden mach were initialed by the players, rather than the coaches.

August 2023 FIFA women’s rankings

  1. Sweden
  2. Spain
  3. USA
  4. England
  5. France
  6. Germany
  7. Netherlands
  8. Japan
  9. Brazil
  10. Canada

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Rubiales goes full ‘Wolf of Wall Street,’ refuses to resign in unhinged speech

The Spanish federation president lashed out at his critics in an explosive rant

Multiple reports said that Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales would resign on Friday, amid a firestorm surrounding his kiss on the lips of Spain star Jenni Hermoso after Sunday’s World Cup final.

But at a RFEF extraordinary general assembly, Rubiales didn’t resign. In fact, he did pretty much the exact opposite.

In an unhinged rant that drew widespread condemnation, the RFEF president essentially reenacted Leonardo DiCaprio’s “I’m not leaving” speech from “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

“Do you think this [incident] is so serious that I should go, after the best management in the history of Spanish football?” Rubiales said. “Let me tell you: I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign.

“I’ve come under a lot of pressure. Perhaps somebody will look to remove me on Monday. But we live in a country of laws. Is a consensual kiss enough to remove me? I’m going to fight until the end. I hope the law is followed, and that as there’s no reason to [remove me], it won’t happen.”

Rubiales was initially defiant amid criticism of the kiss, which followed Spain’s World Cup final win over England. But amid a growing firestorm, the RFEF president apologized the following day.

On Friday, it became clear that apology was fully at odds with how Rubiales actually views the incident in question.

“My desire in that moment was exactly the same as if I’d have been kissing one of my daughters,” he said. “No more or less. Everybody understands that. It was a spontaneous kiss, mutual, euphoric and consensual. That’s the key.

“[Hermoso] had missed a penalty. I have a great relationship with all the players. … In the moment that Jenni arrived, she lifted me up off the ground. We almost fell over. We hugged. I said, ‘Forget about the penalty, you’ve been fantastic, we wouldn’t have won the World Cup without you.’ She said: ‘You’re great.’ I said, ‘A kiss?’ and she said: ‘Yes.'”

Rubiales would also call his critics “false feminists.”

“We must know the difference between truth and lies,” he said. “I’m telling the truth. False feminism doesn’t look for justice or truth, it doesn’t care about people. … [Various politicians] have used terms like sexual violence, assault. What will women who have been sexually assaulted think of that?”

The reaction to Rubiales’ speech was swift. The Spanish government’s sports council announced that it would bring a case against Rubiales to the Administrative Court of Sport. That is in addition to the FIFA disciplinary committee inquiry that was opened on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a host of Spanish men’s and women’s national team players from past and present hit out at Rubiales. Here are some of the reactions from players:

FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales

The pressure continues to grow on the Spanish federation president

FIFA has announced that its disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales.

Rubiales is under fire for kissing Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony following Spain’s win over England in Sunday’s World Cup final.

A statement from FIFA issued on Thursday read:

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee informed Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on 20 August 2023.

The events may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will only provide further information on these disciplinary proceedings once it has issued a final decision on the matter.

Hermoso released a statement on Wednesday saying that FUTPRO, the Spanish players’ union, would be representing her in the matter.

FUTPRO would then declare that it was demanding action on behalf of Hermoso, saying: “From our association we ask the Royal Spanish Football Federation to implement the necessary protocols, ensure the rights of our players are upheld and adopt exemplary measures.”

The pressure on Rubiales has been gradually intensifying since the incident, with Spain’s acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez saying this week that an apology from Rubiales “wasn’t sufficient.”

Enrique Cerezo, the president of Atlético Madrid, said on Thursday that Rubiales should step down, making Atlético the fourth La Liga club to call for the resignation of the federation president.

The Spanish federation has said it will hold an emergency Extraordinary General Assembly on Friday to discuss the issue with Rubiales.

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World Cup TV ratings in the U.S. were unsurprisingly not great

The time difference combined with the USWNT’s underperformance were tough to overcome

With overnight kickoff times and the U.S. women’s national team badly underperforming, it was no surprise that the 2023 Women’s World Cup posted its lowest average English-language TV audience in the United States since 2007.

According to Sports Media Watch, the recently completed World Cup in Australia and New Zealand averaged 669,000 viewers for games across Fox and FS1.

That figure is down 60 percent from the 2019 World Cup in France, which averaged 1.66 million viewers per game. It is also the lowest total since the 2007 World Cup on ESPN and ESPN2 (288,000), which took place in China — a similarly difficult time zone for American viewers.

The USWNT drew strong ratings for its first two games, which both kicked off at 9 p.m. ET: 5,261,000 viewers watched the opener against Vietnam, while 6,429,000 tuned in for the second game against the Netherlands.

Fox then drew 1,354,000 viewers for the USWNT’s group-stage finale against Portugal, which began at 3 a.m. ET. Despite the drop in viewers, it was still the most-watched overnight (3-6 a.m. ET) telecast in Fox history.

But the USWNT’s second-place finish in the group stage was a major blow to American viewership. Rather than two potential prime-time kickoffs in the round of 16 and quarterfinal, the U.S. was staring down a path to the final that would only feature overnight start times.

Of course, the U.S. would only play one knockout stage game: a round of 16 defeat to Sweden. With a 5 a.m. ET kickoff, the game drew 2.5 million viewers.

In a sign that the USWNT is still a major draw, the team’s four games averaged 3,795,000 viewers, which is actually up two percent over 2019 despite having two overnight kickoff times.

“The two [USWNT games] that were played in prime, I think, would have been even surpassed once we got to the knockout stages. The stakes would have been higher,” Michael Mulvihill, Fox’s president of insights and analytics, said in an interview with Deadline.

Perhaps the biggest indication of how the time difference and USWNT underperformance combined to hurt TV ratings can be seen in the final.

With a 6 a.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, the final between England and Spain drew 1.66 million viewers on Fox. That figure was down 88 percent from the 13.98 million who watched the USWNT defeat the Netherlands in the 2019 final, which kicked off at 11 a.m. ET.

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Rapinoe hits out at ‘deep level of misogyny’ in Spanish federation

Luis Rubiales is under fire for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Sunday’s World Cup final

Megan Rapinoe has slammed the Spanish soccer federation and its president Luis Rubiales, who is under fire for kissing Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Sunday’s World Cup final.

After Spain beat England in the final, Rubiales embraced Hermoso and kissed her during the post-game medal ceremony.

The incident has drawn widespread criticism, with Spain’s acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez saying on Tuesday that an apology from Rubiales “wasn’t sufficient.”

Rapinoe has joined in on the chorus of critics, connecting the kiss to more widespread issues between the Spanish federation and its women’s national team.

“[The kiss] made me think about how much we are required to endure,” the U.S. national team forward said in an interview with The Atlantic.

“Think how much that Spanish team had to shoulder: Some of the players who stood up way back last year still aren’t on the team. Maybe that was something that galvanized them, but you shouldn’t have to have that.

“There was another picture that signals such a deep level of misogyny and sexism in that federation and in that man (Rubiales) at the final whistle, just grabbing his crotch. What kind of upside-down world are we in? On the biggest stage, where you should be celebrating, Jenni has to be physically assaulted by this guy.”

In September of last year, 15 players on the Spain women’s national team wrote identical letters to the Spanish federation demanding widespread changes within the program, including more investment in staff and travel.

The Spanish federation also said those players demanded the ouster of head coach Jorge Vilda. Not only did the federation refuse to fire Vilda, it demanded that any player who sent the letter apologize before being allowed back into the team.

Of the 15 players who wrote the letter, only three were named to the roster that eventually won the World Cup.

The Spanish federation has said it will hold an emergency Extraordinary General Assembly on Friday to discuss the issue with Rubiales.

“Based on the latest events that took place during the award ceremony of the Women’s World Cup won by the Spanish national team last Sunday in Sydney, the federation wishes to inform that the internal proceedings of the federation regarding integrity issues are open, as well as the rest of the applicable protocols,” a statement read.

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‘I wish we’d done that earlier’: Rapinoe says USWNT changes came too late at World Cup

“Was there a little bit more in the tournament for us? Yes, I think so”

Megan Rapinoe has joined a growing list of people saying the U.S. women’s national team should have made earlier adjustments during this summer’s World Cup.

In an interview with The Atlantic published on Tuesday, Rapinoe — who before the tournament had announced plans to retire at the end of the 2023 NWSL season — acknowledged that the changed approach seen in the team’s round of 16 meeting with Sweden would have helped the team in the group stage.

“It felt a lot more fluid,” said Rapinoe. “I think we set up more to our strengths and what was going to make us hard to beat. I wish we’d done that earlier, because we would’ve had more time with it. But obviously, hindsight is 20/20.”

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned after the team had its worst-ever showing at a World Cup. He drew intense criticism from pundits for an oddly-implemented 4-3-3 formation that prioritized pushing numbers high up the field over midfield connections on both sides of the ball.

Facing the Swedes without a suspended Rose Lavelle, the U.S. switched things up. Defender Emily Sonnett was deployed as a surprise midfield starter in a 4-2-3-1, while the aggressive early runs from midfield were held until the team had progressed further up the field in possession.

The changes worked to some degree: the USWNT saved their best performance for their toughest opponent, only to go out on penalties after finishing troubles undermined their play.

Rapinoe: USWNT could have gone further

The USWNT’s tactical issues in the group stage contributed to being second-best for a substantial chunk of a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, as well as a dispiriting scoreless draw against Portugal that nearly saw the team eliminated in stoppage time.

In a different formation, and with more consistent numbers in the midfield, the U.S. looked like a more formidable foe. A win over the Dutch, in particular, would have secured the top spot in Group E, which in turn would have resulted in a less daunting round of 16 clash against South Africa (a team the USWNT has beaten in every previous meeting without so much as conceding a goal).

Lindsey Horan, whose own role within the two approaches was markedly different, hinted on the RE-CAP Show podcast that the players may have tweaked the team’s planned tactics on their own.

While saying that the tactical changes should have come earlier, Rapinoe was a bit more philosophical in evaluating the World Cup as a whole.

“Was there a little bit more in the tournament for us? Yes, I think so,” said the 38-year-old, echoing the thoughts of many outside the team’s bubble. “But in the end, I think we played as good as we could, and we tried as hard as we could, and sometimes you lose… I don’t look at it as this devastating thing and a verdict on who we are as players or as a team.”

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