Jorge Vilda, the former head coach of the Spanish women’s football team, has expressed his disappointment at being sacked weeks after leading his team to a victory in the Women’s World Cup.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) dismissed Vilda earlier this week without specifying any reason and appointed Montse Tome as his successor.
This decision came amidst the controversy surrounding the behaviour of RFEF president Luis Rubiales at the World Cup final, where he kissed forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent.
Most of Vilda’s coaching staff resigned and 81 players refused to play for Spain after this incident.
Vilda, who had been in charge of the national team since 2015, won 75 of his 108 matches and has taken the side to second in the FIFA world rankings.
However, his tenure was not without controversy
In September 2022, a player revolt erupted with 15 players submitting identical emails stating that they would not play for Vilda unless their “emotional state” and “health” concerns were addressed.
Although Vilda survived this revolt, Spain’s World Cup campaign was marred by tension amid reports of concerns over training methods and inadequate game preparation.
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In a recent statement, the RFEF did not offer any specific reason for Vilda’s dismissal and described him as “a promoter of the values of respect and sportsmanship in football”.
However, the RFEF has been exploring the possibility of sacking Vilda – considered a close ally of Rubiales – since last week.
The RFEF called Vilda’s dismissal “one of the first renewal measures” announced by Pedro Rocha, who has been appointed as interim president after Rubiales was provisionally suspended by FIFA.
Vilda, in an interview with Cadena SER, expressed his disappointment at being sacked and called it “unjust”.
Although he accepted the criticisms of his sporting performance, he felt that he was treated unfairly on a personal level.
He claimed that “indirectly things have been said that does not suit me”, and that “things have been said that are not true”.
He added that he was fired during a brief meeting with Pedro Rocha and the vice president of Equality, who cited “structural changes” as the reason for his dismissal.
Vilda said that he had a clear conscience and had given 100% to his job and that he did not see his termination as deserved.
Vilda, who applauded Rubiales at the RFEF’s extraordinary general assembly last month, has since criticized his behaviour.
Although he had initially thought that Rubiales would resign, he later found out that he was going to offer Vilda a new deal.
Vilda claimed that he would never applaud anything sexist and that he did not see the kiss take place as he was in a different position in the line when the Spanish players collected their medals.
He expressed his surprise and concern over the incident and said that he had yet to speak with Hermoso.
Vilda added that he had known Hermoso for 16 years and was aware that she was having a hard time.
