Kiss-Gate: Spain Coach Jorge Vilda speaks after his controversial sack

Just sixteen days after the Spanish women’s team won the FIFA World Cup through his leadership as coach, Jorge Vilda was sacked by the RFEF, Spain’s football federation. No reason was given, no explanations were made.

His female deputy was appointed to take his place, thereby becoming the first female coach the section ever had. Her name is Montse Tomé. She will be expected to lead them to their match against Sweden on September 22.

The statement read in the announcement of Jorge Vilda’s sack praised him:

‘The RFEF appreciates [Vilda’s] work at the head of the national team and in his functions as the 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

We value his impeccable personal and sporting conduct, being a key piece in the notable growth of women’s football in Spain.’

But Vilda, speaking later said the sack had been unjust.

The RFEF was in a trouble after their president’s kissing of a female footballer at the award-giving ceremony that followed Spain’s one-goal victory over England.

Following the kiss, the player Jennifer Hermoso said the kiss was consensual, but later refuted her former statement, thereby sparking  up anger against the president.

She said the RFEF had forced her to make the first statement so as to protect the president.

A wildfire of calls for his resignation started spreading both in Spain and in the West, with even some  Spain government officials condemning the president’s action and asking him to resign. But RFEF president Luis Rubiales had other things in mind.

Declaring he would not resign while speaking before an assembly at which many expected him to say the opposite, he added he was going to fight till the end. Jorge Vilda was seen clapping for him after the statement.

That was Jorge Vilda’s sin.

Soon a request that seemed to be forgotten because of Jorge Vilda’s exploit at the helms of the women’s team returned with heavy force.

Last time the president had defended him, saving him from being relieved of his job after 15 players signed a uniform letter that asked for his sack. The reasons they gave, however, did not include sexual abuse and its brothers. It was his management of the players and his administration that was out of favour.

That clap before the assembly was the stroke the broke the camel’s back. The fact that he condemned the alleged non-consensual kiss later did not save him from the heat. People said he should have also called for the president’s resignation.

One does not need to be Vilda to know just how hard such an action would be; and the president had just most recently at the said assembly promised to give him a four-years contract of 500m Euros per year.

In the end, Vilda did not hide how hurt he was by the seemingly-baseless sack:

‘After today, I was fired unjustly. Rubiales told me he was going to renew my contract before the general assembly. He goes public with it later.

‘It was a brief meeting with Pedro Rocha, with the Secretary and the Vice President of equality. Short and the explanation was structural changes. In the end I always held on to the hope and the good fashion in which I was received and overall I was ready and motivated to manage in Nations League and potentially Olympics (Paris 2024)

‘It’s impossible to have obtained the results we did without having created a group that we put together two months before that later comes together. There was a very good feeling, without believing what the coaching staff did, it’s impossible to be world champions.

‘In sporting terms I am going to accept all the criticisms, but on a personal level I think it has been unfair.’

Investigations are still proceeding concerning the case of Luis Rubiales and Jenni Hermoso. Many think the president will have to leave too.

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