Jorge Vilda, the coach of Spain’s Women’s World Cup winning team, has been sacked amid the ongoing Luis Rubiales scandal.
Spain’s victory was overshadowed by Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation, kissing attacker Jenny Hermoso, which she said was not consensual.
Most of Filda’s coaching staff resigned and 81 players refused to play for Spain in the aftermath.
Rubiales refused to resign but was provisionally suspended by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body.
In a statement, the Spanish Federation did not mention a specific reason for Filda’s dismissal, saying he was “a promoter of the values of respect and sportsmanship in football.”
However, the Spanish Football Federation has been exploring whether to sack the 42-year-old Vilda – considered a close ally of Rubiales – since last week.
He was seen applauding Rubiales at the RFEF’s extraordinary general assembly earlier in August – when Rubiales repeatedly insisted he would not quit and said he would offer Vilda a new deal – although he has since criticized his behavior.
The Spanish Federation said, “The Spanish Federation appreciates (Vilda’s) work at the head of the national team and in his duties as head of sports for the women’s teams, as well as the successes he achieved during his existence, which culminated in the recent achievement of the World Cup.” Spanish Football Federation.
“We appreciate his impeccable personal and sporting behaviour, being an essential element in the remarkable growth of women’s football in Spain,” he added.
Filda, who has been in charge of the national team since 2015, escaped a player “rebellion” in September 2022, when the Spanish federation issued a statement revealing that 15 players had submitted identical emails saying they would not play for Filda unless there were “grave” concerns. about their “emotional state” and “health.”
“Las 15” – as the players have come to be known – denied allegations that they had asked for the sacking of Vilda, who has always maintained Rubiales’ support, but tension ensued amid reports of concerns over training methods and inadequate match preparation.
Of these 15, only three ended their exile and returned to the team Spain beat England in the World Cup final in Sydney last month.
Filda supervised 108 matches as coach of Spain, winning 75 of them, and reached the quarter-finals of the European Championships in 2017 and 2022.
The World Cup winners are currently ranked second in the FIFA Women’s World Ranking.
The RFEF statement added: “The RFEF would like to express its gratitude to Jorge Vilda for the services rendered, and for his professionalism and dedication during all these years, wishing him the best success in the future.”
“The Spanish Football Federation has left an exceptional sporting legacy thanks to the implementation of a recognized playing model and methodology that has been an engine of growth for all categories of women in the national team.”
The Spanish Football Federation offers “sincere apologies” for Rubiales’ behaviour
Earlier on Tuesday, Pedro Rocha, the acting president of the Spanish Football Federation, apologized to “the entire football world” for Rubiales’ “totally unacceptable behaviour”.
Rocha said he plans to “bring the spotlight back” on the women’s team after their World Cup win was overshadowed.
A lengthy statement read: “The Royal Spanish Football Federation, through its president, Mr. Pedro Rocha, considers it necessary to offer the most sincere apologies to the football institutions and players, especially the players and players of the Spanish national football team.” The England national football team, its football stakeholders and fans across the world for the totally unacceptable behavior of its highest institutional representative during the 2023 Women’s World Cup Final and in the moments that followed.
“The damage to Spanish football, Spanish sport, Spanish society and the values of football and sport as a whole has been enormous.
“The Spanish Football Federation wants to convey to the entire community and the entire football world its great regret for what happened and which has tarnished our team, football and our society.
He added: “We must deeply apologize and make a firm and absolute commitment that such events will never be repeated.”
The Spanish National Sports Court opened a misconduct case against Rubiales.
on monday, Spain’s men’s players condemned “His unacceptable behavior,” expressing “regret and solidarity with the players whose successes were tarnished.”
After insisting he would not resign in a speech days after the World Cup final, Rubiales said the kiss with Hermoso was consensual, while the RFEF said it would take legal action over her “lies”.
Rocha said he “regrets” that the incident “has negatively impacted what should have been an uninterrupted celebration of football”.
“Mr Rubiales’ performance at that moment and in the hours that followed is unacceptable under any circumstances, which is why the RFEF immediately pulled all those inappropriate and meaningless communications from their website that did not appreciate what the national team had achieved. the National”. The team did not take into account the player’s statements about these events.
“To be clear, this was Mr. Rubiales’ position, not the RFEF’s. We feel particularly sorry and ashamed for the additional pain and distress this has caused.”
Rocha added: “I want to congratulate our team once again on their historic victory, while acknowledging the impact of this victory and its legacy on the future of Spanish football. We are convinced that their spirit has inspired millions of people of all ages, and we couldn’t be more proud of the way they acted. Whether on or off the field.
“In due course, I intend to bring them back into the limelight and celebrate their achievements as they deserve,” he added.
