Spain women’s soccer coach Jorge Vilda fired amid the World Cup kiss fallout
Jorge Vilda has been sacked from his role as head coach of the Spanish women’s soccer team amid the ongoing fallout over the unwanted kiss that soccer chief Luis Rubiales gave a player at the Women’s World Cup final.
The move comes as part of a major shake-up in Spanish soccer ever since Rubiales, the president of the country’s soccer federation (RFEF), forcibly kissed forward Jennifer Hermoso on August 20.
Rubiales has apologized for his actions and described the kiss as “mutual” – a claim Hermoso denied, saying she was not respected. He has been handed a 90-day suspension by FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, while disciplinary proceedings are underway.
In a statement announcing Vilda’s sacking, RFEF said he was “key to the notable growth of women’s football and leaves Spain as world champions and second in the FIFA rankings.”
RFEF later announced Vilda would be replaced by his deputy, Montse Tomé. She will be the first woman in charge of the women’s national team and her debut match will come on September 22 against Sweden.
Vilda had been the women’s national team coach since 2015. “RFEF appreciates his work at the head of the national team and his responsibilities as the maximum sporting figure of the women’s national teams, as well as the successes reaped during his term, crowned with the recent achievement of the World Cup,” the statement added.
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