Women's World Cup winning coach sacked
The decision was made by RFEF acting president Pedro Rocha after a meeting on September 5, 16 days after Spain won the 2023 Women's World Cup for the first time. He wants Vilda's successor to be a woman, and that will be The fourth coach in the history of this country's women's team, after Teodoro Nieto in 1981-1988, Ignacio Quereda in 1988-2015 and Vilga in 2015-2023.
Vilda, 42, was criticized for clapping her hands after a speech by suspended president Luis Rubiales on August 25. Although two days later, Vilda said that Rubiales' actions were "inappropriate".
That day, Rubiales said that he wanted to extend his contract with Vilda for another four years, with a salary of 500,000 euros ($536,000) per year. However, on August 27, FIFA suspended Rubiales from participating in football activities for nine days, so Mr. Rocha was elected acting president.
Rocha also wrote a letter on September 5, on behalf of the RFEF, apologizing for the actions Rubiales and Vilda caused after Spain's coronation. "I feel embarrassed for them," Rocha added. "They cause huge damage to football, sport and Spanish society, as well as the value of world sports. Mr. Rubiales' actions do not represent the values of the RFEF or Spanish society. ".
Rubiales was criticized after kissing female midfielder Jennifer Hermoso during the World Cup awards ceremony on August 20. He defended that the kiss was consensual, but the female player denied this and said she felt uncomfortable with Rubiales' actions. Also during the award ceremony, the 46-year-old leader also used his hand to grab a sensitive part of his body, even though he was standing next to members of the Spanish Royal Family.
And Vilda was also criticized for using her hand to squeeze the chest of one of his female assistants while celebrating victory. A year earlier, 15 female Spanish players said they would not play for the national team as long as Vilda was in charge. In the end, only three of these 15 players qualified for the 2023 World Cup.
