Soccer Spanish World Champion
“We had to leave the door open at night”
As of: 2:30 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
The Spanish international Jennifer Hermoso
Quelle: AFP/JULIO CESAR AGUILAR
Although Spain became football world champions last year, not only the kissing association president had to leave, but also the national coach. It was about control madness. National player Jennifer Hermoso reports details.
There is renewed controversy surrounding the Spanish women’s national football team. After the kissing scandal involving former association president Luis Rubiales, the reigning world champions were at least calm for a few weeks. The 46-year-old kissed player Jennifer Hormoso on the mouth at the award ceremony last summer.
The 33-year-old now gave an interview and spoke primarily about the former national coach Jorge Vilda. Despite the World Cup triumph, the 42-year-old, like Rubiales, is no longer in office. He was released in September.
Previously, Vilda had at times antagonized a large part of the team with his methods. In 2022, 15 players submitted their resignation via email in protest against the coach. It was all about the coach’s obsession with control.
Coach Jorge Vilda with his World Cup medal
Quelle: AP/Rick Rycroft
Hermoso now described this on the television station TVE. About hotel stays, she said: “When we went to sleep we had to leave the door open and wait for him to come in at night so he could talk to us. He said that was the only time he could talk to us in person.”
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Trips into the city were also viewed accordingly, said Hermoso: “When we went shopping, he waited for us and asked us what we had in our bags.”
Vilda was considered an ally of Rubiales
In 2022, the association will support its coach despite the allegations. Three of the 15 rebels later announced their retirement and returned to the national team before the World Cup. After the triumph that followed, Vilda finally had to leave in the wake of the Rubiales case.
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He was considered an ally of the former association president and is said to have tried to talk Hermoso out of her version of events – namely that the kiss took place without her consent. Vilda himself said about his expulsion in a conversation with the radio station Cadena Ser: “I will accept any criticism in sport, but personally I think it is unfair.”
Vilda’s successor was his assistant Montserrat Tomé. Under the 41-year-old former FC Barcelona player, the Spanish national team won five of the first six games and only lost one Nations League game against Italy.