Spain’s soccer federation (RFEF) is gearing up to dismiss Jorge Vilda, who navigated through a player mutiny to guide his team to World Cup victory, but he’s resisting stepping down amidst a sport-rocking scandal, as per an RFEF insider on Thursday.
While his squad reveled largely without him in Australia, the 42-year-old found himself at times isolated. Now, he’s entangled in a backlash against RFEF president Luis Rubiales due to a kiss exchanged with a player on the lips during the final ceremony.
Following FIFA’s suspension of Rubiales, a newly-formed RFEF board is in the process of ending coach Vilda’s contract, the insider confirmed.
The board is also in talks with women players who staged a strike over the Rubiales issue, negotiating their potential return.
Despite Rubiales’ defiance, he’s been deserted by regional RFEF leaders who have called for his resignation.
Vilda, a staunch supporter of Rubiales, is himself a controversial figure in women’s football.
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Questions arose about his tenure as the women’s team coach since 2015, last year, when 15 national team players publicly declared they wouldn’t play for Spain as long as he remained in charge.
Though some changes were made to working conditions after their complaints, the RFEF stood by Vilda, and the team advanced into the World Cup without most of the dissenting players.
The board is currently tackling the legal aspects of Vilda’s termination, along with determining a severance package equivalent to his €160,000 ($173,552) yearly wage, the source disclosed.
Despite a Reuters inquiry, the RFEF, which speaks on Vilda’s behalf as long as he’s the women’s team coach, remained silent. During the World Cup, he acknowledged that the team’s triumph wouldn’t have been feasible without RFEF’s support.
SALARY PROPOSAL In an address to federation members on Friday, Rubiales stood firm against resigning due to the kiss controversy, attributing it to “false feminists.” He lauded Vilda for leading the World Cup win and extended a new four-year contract with an annual salary of €500,000.
Vilda was one of the most vocal supporters of Rubiales’ decision to stay put.
The insider indicated that the federation couldn’t be bound by Rubiales’ verbal salary offer, and believed they had a “compelling argument” if Vilda pursued legal action.
Over the weekend, Spain’s top 58 female players announced that they wouldn’t return to play for the national team under the current leadership following the medal ceremony in Sydney. This ceremony saw Rubiales kiss player Jenni Hermoso on the lips, an act she described as non-consensual.
The RFEF source mentioned that players were currently being consulted to gauge whether Vilda’s removal would change their stance.
The RFEF has also sought the return of Rafael del Amo, the president of the national committee for women’s football, who resigned in protest against Rubiales’ refusal to step down.
Del Amo has been designated to converse with players under the condition that the RFEF will renew the team’s staff, the source stated.
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