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The coach of Spain\u2019s World Cup-winning women\u2019s soccer team was fired Tuesday, less than three weeks after the victory celebration that led to the suspension of the country\u2019s soccer federation president for kissing a player.<\/p>\n
The Spanish soccer federation offered no immediate explanation for the dismissal, saying only that Jorge Vilda was \u201ckey to the notable growth of women\u2019s soccer\u201d and thanking him for leading the national team to the World Cup title and to No. 2 in the FIFA rankings \u2013 its highest ever position.<\/p>\n
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Spain coach Jorge Vilda, pictured instructing Alba Redondo, has been sacked.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Vilda was among those who at first applauded federation president Luis Rubiales when he refused to resign despite facing widespread criticism for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent during the title celebrations last month in Sydney.<\/p>\n One of Vilda\u2019s assistant coaches, Montse Tome, was appointed to replace him. She will be the first woman to hold the job.<\/p>\n Rubiales, who also grabbed his crotch in a lewd victory gesture after the final game, has been provisionally suspended by FIFA and faces a Spanish government case against him for the conduct that prompted a storm of criticism and led to widespread calls for his resignation.<\/p>\n Vilda later said Rubiales\u2019 behaviour was improper. Men\u2019s coach Luis de la Fuente also initially applauded Rubiales for a diatribe against what he called \u201cfalse feminists\u201d. De la Fuente later apologised and said his applause was an \u201cinexcusable\u201d human error.<\/p>\n Vilda, who was also relieved of his job as sporting director, had been at the helm of the women\u2019s team since 2015. Less than a year ago, some players rebelled against him in a crisis that put his job in jeopardy.<\/p>\n Fifteen players stepped away from the national team, citing their mental health, and demanded a more professional environment. Only three returned to the squad that won the World Cup.<\/p>\n The players who left the team signed a letter complaining about Vilda and the conditions for the national team.<\/p>\n Vilda was heavily backed by Rubiales throughout the process.<\/p>\n In a statement announcing the firing, the soccer federation expressed its gratitude to Vilda \u201cfor the services provided, for his professionalism and his dedication during all these years.\u201d<\/p>\n Vilda \u201cleaves the federation with an extraordinary sporting legacy thanks to the implementation of a recognized game model and a methodology that has been an engine of growth for all the women\u2019s categories of the national team,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n During the team\u2019s celebration in Madrid after the World Cup, Vilda received a lukewarm welcome from fans. He had been jeered by some during a viewing party for the final.<\/p>\n The World Cup title was Spain\u2019s first since the men\u2019s team won its lone trophy at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. It was only the third World Cup appearance by the women\u2019s team.<\/p>\n The president currently in charge of the Spanish soccer federation, Pedro Rocha, released a letter Tuesday apologising to the soccer world and to society in general for Rubiales\u2019 behaviour.<\/p>\n Rocha said the federation had the responsibility to ask for \u201cthe most sincere apologies to the soccer world as a whole,\u201d especially to fans and players of the women\u2019s national team, \u201cfor the totally unacceptable behaviour of its highest representative\u201d.<\/p>\n In no way did his behaviour represent \u201cthe values of Spanish society as a whole, its institutions, its representatives, its athletes and the Spanish sports leaders,\u201d Rocha wrote.<\/p>\n In other developments, the captains of the Spanish men\u2019s national team on Monday condemned Rubiales\u2019 \u201cunacceptable behaviour\u201d in a show of support for the women\u2019s team.<\/p>\n