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A little over two weeks after winning the World Cup, head coach Jorge Vilda was fired by the acting president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Pedro Rocha.
The much-maligned Vilda was bullish in the immediate aftermath of his sacking, calling his dismissal “unfair”.
While much of the focus has been centered onsuspended RFEF president Luis Rubiales, following his unsolicited kiss of striker Jennifer Hermoso as she collected her winners medal, the first permanent axe has fallen on the man who coached the Spanish women’s team to a historic first world title.
But, it is the least surprising outcome thus far and freelance Spanish journalist Esther Olmeda believes it will be a relief for 81 players who refused to be called up to the national team while Rubiales remained in charged and systematic changes within the entire organization were made.
“They may have won the World Cup but they were playing for each other and never for Vilda,” Olmeda told DW.
“The players who were part of squad agreed to be professional and put aside their feelings on the coach. At the time they felt they had no other option. This is a small piece of justice”
Vilda encouraged an environment of intimidation
One of the most uncomfortable truths of Spain lifting the World Cup was a resigned acknowledgement that it almost certainly meant Vilda would remain as head coach for an extended period.
“Of course there was happiness when they created history just by reaching the semifinal,” Olmeda added. “But for some of us who have followed the team for so long and know how much they have suffered, the feeling was also of knowing change would not be possible.”
The unlikeliest of World Cup victories came despite La Roja having been without at least 12 of the country’s best players, after they had emailed the RFEF about in September 2022 regarding the detrimental conditions they were enduring under Vilda.
Instead of seeking a conversation with the players, which included Barcelona trio Mariona Caldenty, Mapi Leon and Sandra Panos, the RFEF — led at the time by Rubiales — publicly rebuked the players and put their full support behind Vilda.
It was a reaction that shocked the players, who were forced to attempt to fight their battle in public and remained adamant that they were not seeking Vilda’s dismissal but simply an improvement in standards.
The allegations of Vilda ruling with an iron fist ranged with the 42-year-old accused during training camps and major tournaments of forcing players to leave the doors to their hotel rooms open at night so he could verify they were there and was said to have checked the contents of their bags on their return if they left the team hotel.
Leon remained steadfast and outspoken in her beliefs, saying in an interview with Mundo Deportivo in March: “It’s one thing if we’ve only been demanding this [higher standards for the national team] for a week, but when it’s been years … I don’t want to compare but I’m at Barcelona and I’m very happy with the level there.”
In April, following a friendly against China, when asked by DW about the state of his squad with 15 of his most senior players, Vilda made a clear statement on his belief of their actions.
“We only want hope, cohesion, desire, motivation to be in the national team and above all pride. Pride to be part of the team, pride in putting on the training kit every time you come out onto the pitch,” he told DW.
Suffering everyday during the World Cup
When the World Cup finally began, 10 months after the first complaints surfaced, three of the 15 players – eventual player of the tournament Aitana Bonmatí, Ona Battle and Caldentey – who has refused to be recalled to national side returned to the fold.
While local Spanish media asked only football-related questions at the pre-match and post-match press conferences with Vilda, foreign journalists pushed the head coach on the 12 players who remained in Spain.
The response from the head coach was blunt and repetitive, saying he only focused on the 23 players in the squad, until La Roja defeated Sweden 2-1 to book their place in the World Cup final.
Vilda used the historic moment to thank Rubiales for his “support and commitment”. The victory seemingly gave the former RFEF sporting director the platform to be more honest about his feelings.
“The support of Luis Rubiales, the president of the federation, and everyone at the federation, means so much and will always stay with me, as well as that of my family because they have suffered this year,” he said at the post-match press conference.
“At the end of the day it has been a learning process, and I think it has made all of us stronger. Now we can file it away and put it behind us and think about the future and think that we deserve to be where we are.”
Although he did not take the moment to speak about the players, many repeatedly used the mixed zone after every match during the tournament that the team were “suffering” but accepted it as they sought ultimate victory.
Captain Olga Carmona, who was named player of the final after scoring the winning goal, reiterated the sentiment following the final.
“Of course we have suffered but now it is worth it. This is the only way it could have been.” she said.
The context of those constant remarks in the wake of the Rubiales assault which the 81 national players said was a sign of the challenging environment they have had to deal with for many years, is all the more evident now.
“The players have always deserved better but there were too many working against them,” Olmeda explained. “This is a first step towards hope but it cannot be the last.”
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