Spain women’s head coach Jorge Vilda’s entire coaching staff resign in protest at the ‘unacceptable attitudes and statements’ of under-fire FA president Luis Rubiales
- All 11 members of Jorge Vilda’s coaching staff have resigned from their positions
- The coaching staff have criticised the conduct of the Spanish FA president
- Embattled Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales has been suspended by FIFA
- WATCH: It’s All Coming Up – Mail Sport’s preview show for the weekend’s football
The hugely unpopular coach of Spain’s World Cup winning women’s team Jorge Vilda was left all alone in his position when his entire back room staff resigned in support of Jenni Hermoso.
Vilda was disliked by his players largely because they saw him as a stooge of the President of Spain’s Football Federation Luis Rubiales.
A statement signed by 11 coaching and technical staff expressed its ‘strongest and most emphatic condemnation of the conduct shown by the president of the Spanish Football Federation’.
Fifa suspended Rubiales for 90 days pending the conclusion of their own investigation on Saturday.
Earlier Spain’s Sport and Culture minister Miquel Iceta had explained his own delay in suspending Rubiales and admitted his permanent removal was in the hands of the Spanish courts.
The entire coaching staff of Spain women’s national team head coach Jorge Vilda, second left, have resigned from their roles
The coaching staff have released a statement condemning Luis Rubiales behaviour after the president of the Spanish FA kissed Jenni Hermoso on the mouth after the World Cup final
Your browser does not support iframes.
Before learning of the FIFA decision Iceta said: ‘We would all like decisions to be taken as soon as possible, but there are procedures to be respected.
‘The government cannot take a decision on its own. It needs an authorisation, and that comes from CAS (Court for Arbitration in Sport).’
Iceta was asked by El Pais if there were a possibility Rubiales could return to his job after CAS’ ruling.
He said: ‘Well if CAS considers that no serious or very serious action has taken place, because the government cannot say who presides over a federation.
‘But at the end of last year we passed a new sports law that reinforced the rights of women athletes. With the current legal framework it is very difficult not to consider that there has been a very serious action that deserves a significant sanction.’
And asked if the end was coming for Rubiales as President, Iceta said: ‘As far as the government is concerned, yes, but there is a part of the procedure that does not fall within the government’s competence. There is a court that exercises its functions independently.’
Ultimately if FIFA permanently removes Rubiales from his position then the decision could be taken out of Spain’s hands.
Hermoso, the Spain player who Rubiales accused on Friday of initiating the kiss that he planted on her lips during the medals ceremony, has continued to receive support.
Rubiales has been hit with an initial 90-day suspension from FIFA after kissing Jenni Hermoso during Spain’s celebrations after winning the Women’s World Cup in Australia
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Lola Gallardo, who is one of the 15 who undersigned an email last year saying she did not want to play for Spain under the Rubiales-appointed Jorge Vilda, said: ‘I haven’t seen Rubiales give Sergio Ramos or Dani Carvajal a kiss on the mouth when they have won important titles.
‘Maybe he was euphoric but about other things, not because we women are world champions. He was euphoric because (he feels) he’s had a difficult year, we are the 15 little girl blackmailers and he’s go the big balls and he and Jorge Vilda had won.’
Jorge Vilda’s coaching staff’s resignation statement in full
‘As a result of the events that occurred after the final of the Women’s Soccer World Cup, part of the Women’s Soccer Team wants to make its position public,’ the statement read.
‘The undersigned express their firmest and most emphatic condemnation of the conduct shown by the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Manuel Rubiales Béjar, with the player of the National Women’s Soccer Team, Jennifer Hermoso.
‘After the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, which took place on August 25, 2023, in which the president of the RFEF did not present his resignation and in which he offered a story that does not reflect in any way any of the feelings of the aforementioned player, who has expressly stated that she felt “victim of aggression”, this part of the Technical Staff supports the player Jennifer Hermoso, endorsing the version offered by her.
‘Adding the inconvenience of having to necessarily attend the aforementioned assembly on August 25, in which, in addition, there was a particularly hurtful event for this coaching staff, since several of the female members of the coaching staff were forced to wear in the front row, exposing their image and trying to make society and players understand.
‘For all these reasons, the undersigned, in light of the unacceptable attitudes and statements made by the top leader of the RFEF, have made the decision to place their positions at the disposal of the RFEF.
‘This part of the Technical Team shows its support for the statement published by the players of the Women’s National Soccer Team, in reference to said actions and statements made by the president of the RFEF, and more specifically to the public statements made by the player Jenni Hermoso.
‘The undersigned want to end this statement by accepting the part of responsibility that falls to us regarding the restructuring and professionalisation of the Women’s Team, a task for which we have always worked with the greatest motivation and professionalism.’
Javier Lerga, Eugenio Gonzalo, Blanca Romero, Carlos Sanchez, Ruben Jimenez, Sonia Bermudez, Javier Velazquez, Javier Egido, Ander Ruiz, Elena Fernandez and Montse Tome
Source: Read Full Article