The Royal Spanish Football Federation decided to dismiss Jorge Vilda, the coach of the Women’s National Team, and appoint Montse Tomé as his replacement. This decision marks the beginning of what the entity has called a “renewal” process after the controversy surrounding Luis Rubiales. Tomé will be the first woman to lead the senior team and she faces the challenge of maintaining the success of ‘La Roja’ and alleviating the crisis that Spanish women’s football is experiencing.
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A new twist in the Rubiales case. The Royal Spanish Football Federation announced on Tuesday, September 5, the dismissal of Jorge Vilda, who was coach of the women’s team since 2015 and who had a contract until 2024. Shortly after, the organization announced that his replacement will be Montse Tomewho had been his right hand.
“The RFEF appreciates his work at the helm of the National Team and in his duties as head of sports for the women’s teams, as well as the successes achieved during his time crowned with the recent achievement of the World Cup,” indicates the communiqué where the decision was announced.
🚨 | The RFEF dismisses Jorge Vilda as national coach and sports director.
The coach has been key to the remarkable growth of women’s football and leaves Spain as world champion and second in the FIFA ranking.
ℹ️ https://t.co/als2TBU5mb pic.twitter.com/u6f3TzAc6B
– RFEF (@rfef) September 5, 2023
According to the entity, these are “the first renewal measures announced by President Pedro Rocha.”
Rocha was appointed interim president by FIFA after Luis Rubiales was suspended for kissing Jenni Hermoso, a player of the Spanish National Team, without consent, after winning the Women’s World Cup and for having made inappropriate gestures such as touching his genitals in the stands.
In the text, the RFEF also thanks Vilda for her role in the “growth of women’s football” in the country and takes a look at the former coach’s victories such as the U-17 World Cup, which he won on two occasions and which he also won with the Under-20. In addition, it refers to the triumphs in the Eurocup in different categories and to the jewel in the crown: the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The RFEF seems to seek to unmark Vilda de Rubiales, assuring that “during her long period, Vilda has been a promoter of the values of respect and sportsmanship in football” and highlights her “professionalism and dedication during all these years”.
The affinity between Vilda and Rubiales
However, the relationship between Vilda and Rubiales is close. The then RFEF president supported the coach after 15 players declared themselves ineligible after being eliminated from Euro 2022, demanding that Vilda be removed from office and questioning his leadership methods.
Despite the players’ decision, Rubiales left Vilda in charge and entrusted her with managing the team in the World Cup. Only three players from the group were called up for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
After the scandal of the non-consensual kiss and inappropriate behavior in said final, the RFEF president offered to extend the coach’s contract, even after a group of dozens of players left the group in support of Jenni Hermoso and asked, this time, the resignation of Rubiales, something that never happened. In fact, last week, the Administrative Court of Sport (TAD) described Rubiales’ actions as a “serious misconduct”, for which he could not be suspended.
Previously, in the Extraordinary General Assembly in which Rubiales assured that he would not resign, in a speech in which he launched harsh accusations against what he called “false feminism”, images of Vilda applauding were broadcast. A gesture for which she was strongly criticized even when she later spoke out against the actions of her former boss.
Vilda began her career in the Senior Women’s National Team in September 2015. Then, Spain managed to get six straight wins as soon as she began to lead the team and only knew defeat until a friendly against England in 2016. The good performance of ‘La Roja ‘ under his command was marred by the early disqualification of the team in the 2020 and 2022 Euro Cups, which deepened the disagreements with the Spanish players.
Montse Tomé, the coach who will replace Vilda
Shortly after the official dismissal of Vilda, the RFEF appointed Montse Tomé as the new coach of the Women’s National Team. She is the first woman to lead the senior team after four coaches.
Tomé was known as Vilda’s right hand. The former player of teams like Barcelona or Levante was her assistant and her analyst since 2018, when she obtained the UEFA Pro license.
In 2012 he retired from soccer, but he wanted to continue his passion for the sport off the field. In 2020 he began to manage the Under-17 team, a position he quickly left to dedicate himself fully to the senior team.
The 41-year-old coach joined the rejection against Rubiales’ actions. She will now have the task of not only maintaining the level of ‘La Roja’, but also uniting the dressing room and alleviating one of the biggest crises that Spanish football has had.
It remains to be seen what will happen to the players who declared themselves ineligible. An outcome that will be known soon, since Spain will face Sweden and Switzerland at the end of September in the first two days of the UEFA Women’s Nations League.
With EFE, Reuters, AFP and local media
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