MADRID, Sept 6 – The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has announced the sacking of Spain’s women’s team coach, Jorge Vilda, just ten days after FIFA suspended RFEF’s president over an incident where he kissed team player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth in celebration of Spain’s World Cup victory.
Vilda has been succeeded by his assistant, Montse Tome, who has made history by becoming the first woman to lead the women’s national team. Serving as Vilda’s assistant coach since 2018, Tome has been instrumental in the national team’s development, according to an RFEF statement.
The decision to terminate Vilda’s contract was made by a newly formed board after RFEF President Luis Rubiales was suspended by FIFA for the alleged non-consensual kiss during the World Cup victory celebration.
While the RFEF statement did not provide reasons for Vilda’s dismissal or mention the incident involving Hermoso, Rubiales, or the ensuing scandal, it did acknowledge Vilda’s significant contributions to women’s football. The statement expressed gratitude to the coach for his “extraordinary sporting legacy” and highlighted Spain’s World Cup victory and second place in the FIFA rankings under his leadership.
The controversy surrounding Rubiales has sparked a national debate over women’s rights and sexist behavior.
In a separate statement, interim President Pedro Rocha issued an apology on behalf of the RFEF for Rubiales’ “inappropriate conduct.” The statement, spanning three pages, acknowledged the extensive damage caused to Spanish football, sports, society, and the values of football and sport as a whole.
Vilda, who was considered a close ally of Rubiales, faced criticism since the previous year when 15 players staged a mutiny, demanding his resignation due to inadequate coaching methods and conditions that did not match those of the men’s squad. Most of the players involved were subsequently dropped from the squad, though some demands were met.
Danae Boronat, a sports presenter and author of the book “Don’t Call Them Girls, Call Them Footballers,” revealed that players accused Vilda of micromanaging, including instructing senior players on what to say in interviews.
At the time of this report, Vilda had not provided a comment, and Rubiales had not responded to a request for comment.
Notably, Vilda and Luis de la Fuente, the men’s national team manager, initially praised Rubiales when he refused to resign on Aug. 25 but later issued statements condemning his behavior.
Rubiales had previously lauded Vilda for the World Cup victory and offered him a new four-year contract, substantially increasing his annual salary from 160,000 euros to 500,000 euros ($536,000).
In response to the leadership crisis, Spain’s top 58 female players had expressed their reluctance to play for the national team under the existing leadership. An RFEF source informed Reuters last week that players were being consulted to determine whether Vilda’s removal would alter their stance.
