Tag: Jorge Vilda

Vilda sacked as Spain women’s head coach amid ongoing upheaval

The manager was removed amid a tumultuous period for Spanish soccer and society as a whole

Spain women’s national team head coach Jorge Vilda has been sacked after a controversial reign that ended with a World Cup title last month.

With Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales currently suspended over his behavior in the aftermath of the World Cup final, acting president Pedro Rocha confirmed the decision to fire Vilda on Tuesday.

“The RFEF, in one of the first renovation measures announced by president Pedro Rocha, has decided to dispense with the services of Jorge Vilda,” a statement read.

The federation also announced that Vilda’s former assistant Montse Tomé has been named his successor. Tomé is the first woman to be head coach of the Spain women’s national team.

Vilda had been at the helm since 2015, with the final year of his time in charge marked by significant turmoil.

In September 2022, 15 players wrote letters to the federation, decrying Vilda for both a lack of appropriate preparation for games and refusing to grant players privacy, among other issues.

Rubiales swiftly leapt to Vilda’s defense, not only keeping the coach in charge but demanding an apology from the 15 players if they wished to represent the national team again.

Of the group of 15, only three were named to the 23-player roster that lifted the World Cup in Sydney last month.

Even with the World Cup win, the RFEF has been under pressure to dismiss Vilda for some time and finally did so on Tuesday, amid a tumultuous period that has seen Rubiales receive worldwide condemnation for his behavior in the aftermath of the World Cup final.

Rubiales kissed Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the game against England — an act Hermoso has insisted was not consensual. His refusal to resign has led to Spain’s entire World Cup-winning roster going on strike until he is ousted.

Prior to announcing Vilda’s dismissal, the RFEF released a statement apologizing for everything that has occurred following the World Cup final.

“The RFEF wants to convey to the whole of society and to the whole of world football its deepest regret for what has happened, which has tarnished our national team, our football and our society,” the statement reads. “The damage caused to Spanish football, to Spanish sport, to Spanish society and to the values of football and sport as a whole has been enormous.”

“The actions of Mr. Rubiales do not represent the values defended by the Spanish federation, nor the values of Spanish society as a whole, and his actions must be attributed solely and exclusively to 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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Luis Rubiales might not survive this after all

High-ranking Spanish government officials are piling pressure on Rubiales for his kiss of Jenni Hermoso

Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales was likely hoping that his apology would do enough to quell the growing storm around his kiss of Spain star Jenni Hermoso.

One day later, however, it looks like Rubiales is still facing some rough waters ahead.

After Spain’s World Cup final win over England on Sunday, Rubiales embraced Hermoso and kissed her on the lips during the post-game medal ceremony.

Though his reaction to criticism around the incident was initially defiant, the RFEF president changed his approach on Monday by releasing a video statement apologizing for the kiss, saying “I made a mistake, for sure.”

But on Tuesday, Rubiales was criticized by no less than Spain’s acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez, who said that the apology from Rubiales “wasn’t sufficient.”

“It shows that in our country there’s a long way to go in terms of equality and respect between men and women,” Sánchez told reporters. “What we saw was an unacceptable gesture.

“I think the apology Mr. Rubiales has given wasn’t sufficient, I’d say it wasn’t adequate, and Mr. Rubiales should keep taking further steps.

He added: “The RFEF isn’t a part of the Spanish government. … The president is chosen or removed by [the federation’s] members. Mr. Rubiales must take further steps to clarify a behavior which is clearly unacceptable. His apology must be more clear and more convincing.”

Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s acting second deputy prime minister, was even more forceful, saying that Hermoso was “harassed and assaulted” and calling on Rubiales to resign.

“Our most resounding condemnation for what we saw,” Díaz said on social media. “Nothing more and nothing less, a woman has been harassed and assaulted.

“His excuses are useless. What we ask is for the sports law to be applied and for the sport’s federation protocols to be activated. This person should resign.”

As the pressure grows on Rubiales, a report from Relevo on Tuesday provided some potentially damaging details on the behavior of the RFEF in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Among the items in the report are allegations that Rubiales and head coach Jorge Vilda asked Hermoso multiple times to appear in the president’s apology video, which the striker refused.

Even more alarming is an allegation that a statement attributed to Hermoso, which said of Rubiales: “His behavior with everyone has been excellent and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude,” was reportedly written by the RFEF and not approved by the player herself.

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Fans ripped the Spanish Football Federation for celebrating controversial Jorge Vilda after World Cup win

The players deserve so much better than this classless garbage.

Thanks to Spain’s dominance, Sunday’s 2023 World Cup Final was largely without drama. La Roja took the lead in the 29th minute over England after an Olga Carmona goal. They would hold firm for the rest of the match en route to a 1-0 victory and the nation’s first-ever Women’s World Cup title.

But the way the Spanish Football Federation’s Twitter account treated the celebrations after the fact has deservedly ruffled some feathers in the soccer world. The official account posted a photo of Spain head coach Jorge Vilda kissing the championship trophy with a caption of “Vilda In” and a No. 1 index finger emoji.

Even if Vilda was technically the coach, this was in wildly poor taste after all the pre-tournament controversy he himself created. It could even certainly be viewed as a direct insult to the players and their rightful gripes about a “leader” who probably shouldn’t have been in charge.

In September 2022, 15 of Spain’s players maintained they wouldn’t play in this World Cup specifically because of Vilda, alleging he had fostered team conditions of abuse, fear, and bigotry. Only three of said players actually ended up traveling to Australia and New Zealand, with Vilda making the final roster decisions. No wonder there was a lot of talk about how the Spanish players even refused to interact with Vilda on the sideline.

Never mind that Spain’s roster — even without a good portion of its players — appeared to be so talented that any coach could’ve likely made a deep run in the tournament. Vilda was regularly criticized during this World Cup for poor strategic planning and curious lineup management. Yet, the team won it all in spite of him.

The Spanish Football Federation should be taking its players’ concerns about abuse and mistreatment seriously. If Vilda had to remain as the coach during this glorious run after his mess, the least the organization could’ve done is NOT pretend his contributions made any meaningful impact on the best international team in the sport.

The federation leaders should be embarrassed he was highlighted like this anyway.

Spain federation decides to kill the mood with pro-Jorge Vilda post

You don’t always have to post

You don’t always have to post.

That’s the lesson for Spain’s federation, who punctuated the nation’s first-ever Women’s World Cup win with an extraordinarily smug and poorly-timed social media post shortly after captain Ivana Andrés lifted the trophy on Sunday.

The official Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) account for the nation’s women’s national team could have easily posted a slew of celebratory photos, gifs, and videos after a 1-0 win over England.

Instead, the choice was provocative.

“Vilda In,” read the post on the social media app formerly known as Twitter, above a photo of Spain manager Jorge Vilda kissing the World Cup trophy.

The issue? Vilda is deeply unpopular with fans worldwide, and with many of Spain’s players. Back in September 2022, 15 players wrote letters to the federation, decrying Vilda for both a lack of appropriate preparation for games and refusing to grant players privacy, among other issues.

The RFEF took the remarkable step of both acknowledging that the players had concerns about their mental health, and completely dismissing their concerns. Instead, the official reply came with a threat that players who refuse call-ups can be banned for playing for the national team for between two and five years.

As a result, Spain has been under pressure for nearly a full year to dismiss Vilda, who was booed by the crowd at Stadium Australia before and after Sunday’s final.

In the end, the federation stuck with the 42-year-old manager, while applying inconsistent responses to “las 15.” Three of the reported players to speak out against Vilda (Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí, and Mariona Caldentey) ended up as vital starters for Spain throughout the World Cup, while five more made themselves available for a return only to be left home. The remaining seven, from all available evidence, refused to back down.

Vilda, meanwhile, refused to address the situation publicly, even as members of his squad could be seen after knockout round wins openly avoiding any celebration with him. The team’s progression through the tournament has resulted in plenty of dissonance, as a Spanish victory is also a Vilda victory. It remains a messy situation: some players were still steering clear of him amid the falling confetti, while others joined staff members in heaving him skyward in celebration.

(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

All of which makes doing a “Vilda In” post such a bizarre choice. In what could be a moment of pure celebration for a fractured group, Spain’s federation decided to use an official channel to take one more swipe at its own players and those that back them.

Fans and observers are left with a really difficult situation to parse. An extravagantly talented team that looks set to be a top side for years to come should draw a huge number of admirers. However, with Spain’s federation repeatedly and aggressively backing a coach many of those players have said shouldn’t be in his post, that success comes with a very unpleasant aftertaste.

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Spain coach Vilda on player revolt: ‘Next question’

Jorge Vilda would not be drawn on a question about last fall’s revolt by 15 Spain players

On the eve of the World Cup final, Spain head coach Jorge Vilda refused to answer a question about last fall’s player revolt that, according to Spain’s federation, saw 15 players demand his ouster.

Spain is on the verge of history, having reached Sunday’s final against England at Stadium Australia amid a highly tumultuous period.

As his team aims for its first World Cup title, Vilda was again asked about the player unrest in his pre-match press conference.

“Next question please,” was the coach’s response.

Of the 15 players who demanded changes last fall, only three made the World Cup roster: Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey.

Five of the remaining 12 made themselves available for the World Cup but were not picked. That leaves seven, including stars Patri Guijarro and Mapi León, who refused to return.

Despite the turmoil and missing players, Spain has put together an outstanding World Cup. La Roja defeated pre-tournament favorites Netherlands and Sweden in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to leave them on the brink of a first world title on the women’s side.

Vilda would not be drawn on the ongoing controversy, instead choosing to focus on the unity of the 23 players that he did select for the World Cup.

“From the very beginning, the players have been united and working a lot,” Vilda said. “Today will be the 65th training session and all have come out very well — the training, games, everything inside the squad has been extraordinary. They have had fun, we’ve been together.”

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The odd ambivalence of watching Spain smash this World Cup

La Roja’s success may further embolden and entrench the forces they revolted against

In September 2022, 15 Spain women’s national team players revolted against their federation and their coach Jorge Vilda.

It would have taken some real imagination to foresee then where La Roja would end up 11 months later: a World Cup final.

But this is not a pure feel-good story of redemption. Instead, it’s a tale filled with ambivalence as Spain’s players heroically succeed on the pitch and in doing so, further embolden and entrench the forces they revolted against.

Of the 15 players who revolted last fall, only three made the World Cup roster: Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey. All three were on the pitch on Tuesday as Spain defeated Sweden 2-1 in a thrilling semifinal that saw all three goals in the final 10 minutes.

Five of the remaining 12 made themselves available for the World Cup but were not picked. That leaves seven, including stars Patri Guijarro and Mapi León, who refused to return.

“It will really piss me off not to go to the World Cup, but my values come first,” León said in March.

The players who have returned (or at least made themselves available) made a complex calculation. Perhaps some felt that at least a few of their demands had been met, as ESPN reported in June that travel and staffing conditions had improved. Maybe the prospect of missing a World Cup was too much to bear.

But as La Roja’s players make history on the field, their success increasingly validates Vilda, whom the 15 players attempted to oust last fall, according to the Spanish federation (RFEF).

The response from the RFEF was defiant. Not only did they dismiss the players’ concerns, they threatened the 15 who demanded Vilda’s ouster, saying they would only be recalled “if they accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness.”

Leading up to the World Cup semifinal, Vilda expressed his appreciation to his federation.

“I would like to acknowledge the backing and the support of our president Luis Rubiales from the very first day,” Vilda said at a press conference.

Photo by Saeed KHAN/AFP

“Without that we would not be here. I’m quite sure all of this would not have happened. We have a president who reacted with courage and put his trust in me and my technical team, and we are very happy about the whole process.”

Except, not everybody seems happy. Certainly not the players who aren’t at the World Cup, either by choice or by exclusion. The onus will now fall on the players remaining to force more changes.

It may be difficult to fully root for Spain as a neutral, but there’s no doubt that if they do win the World Cup, they’ll have even more of a platform to demand change.

Christen Press, who was part of the U.S. women’s national team that barely defeated Spain in the last 16 of the 2019 World Cup, explained on the latest episode of “The RE-CAP Show” why she is still rooting for Spain at this World Cup.

“Ultimately I will always root for the players on the field,” Press said, “and I will hope that their success, their greatness, their beautiful performances, their goals — I hope the whole country can get behind them and I hope that it will help them get a voice. That’s sort of what you want to celebrate in sport is this idea that you can play for these changes.”

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15 Spain women’s national team players say they’ll quit if Vilda remains head coach

It sounds like the RFEF isn’t ready to hear their players out

A simmering conflict between Spain’s women’s national team’s players, head coach Jorge Vilda, and the Spanish Football Federation has definitively come to a head.

A report on Spanish radio show El Larguero said on Thursday that 15 players had contacted the federation (RFEF) to announce that they would not be interested in playing for the national team as long as Vilda stays on as head coach.

The RFEF released a statement in response, announcing that 15 players had in fact emailed them to demand Vilda’s dismissal as a prerequisite for their continued participation with the national team.

In a remarkable statement, the RFEF said it had “received 15 emails from 15 players of the women’s senior football team, coincidentally all with the same wording, in which they state that the current situation has ‘significantly’ affected their ’emotional state’ and their ‘health’ and that, ‘as long as it is not reversed,’ they will resign from the Spanish national team.”

Multiple Spanish reports say that the list of players that are known to have emailed the RFEF includes Laia Alexandri, Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, Lola Gallardo, Lucia García, Patri Guijarro, Nerea Izaguirre, Mapi León, Leila Ouahabi, Sandra Paños, Andrea Pereira, Claudia Pina, Amaiur Sarriegui, and Ainhoa Vicente.

The list includes 12 players (including six starters) from Spain’s 2-1 quarterfinal defeat against England at Euro 2022.

Spain’s players had in recent weeks reportedly taken their issues to RFEF president Luis Rubiales, and had also confronted Vilda directly, with the longtime national team coach insisting that he remain in charge.

RFEF lashes out at players

The RFEF’s statement made it clear that the federation is not prepared to consider the group’s position.

“The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers,” read the statement. “The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of maneuvers are far from exemplary and outside the values ​​of football and sport and are harmful.”

The RFEF went on threaten that any refusal of a call-up can be punished with a ban of between two and five years, before saying it will not call any player who “does not want to wear the Spain shirt.” The RFEF statement later added that the players that demanded Vilda’s ouster will only be recalled “if they accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness.”

The RFEF also declared the demand “an unprecedented situation in the history of football, both male and female, in Spain and worldwide,” a claim that seems completely indefensible given the number of player mutinies on national teams over the history of national teams playing soccer against each other. Spain in fact shares a border with France, whose men’s team refused to train during the 2010 World Cup as part of a revolt against coach Raymond Domenech.

Spain’s federation has long had issues on the women’s side of its program. Vilda’s predecessor, Ignacio Quereda, was the senior team’s head coach for a whopping 27 years from 1988 to 2015, and in 2021 allegations emerged that his time in charge had included extensive abuse, homophobia, and a general culture of fear.

The current situation is playing out with two high-profile friendlies coming up in the October FIFA window. Spain is due to host Sweden on October 7, and then the U.S. women’s national team on October 11 in Pamplona.

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