06 September 2023 , 09:35
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Jorge Vilda claimed he was fired "unjustly" after leaving his job as Spain manager just 16 days after winning the World Cup.
Vilda's Spanish side defeated England 1-0 in the 2023 final just over two weeks ago. On Tuesday he was sacked, amid the ongoing Luis Rubiales saga which has seen the RFEF's former President suspended by FIFA.
Following Spain's win in Sydney, Rubiales was seen kissing forward Jenni Hermoso, which she said was not consensual. Vilda's former assistant Montse Tome has been named as his successor, becoming the first woman to hold the position.
Late on Tuesday evening Vilda spoke publicly for the first time following the RFEF announcement, who also issued a public apology to "the whole football society" regarding Rubiales' behaviour. During an interview with Spanish sports radio stationEl Larguero Vilda said he didn't expect to be sacked by acting President Pedro Rocha.
"After today, I was fired unjustly," Vilda said. "Rubiales told me he was going to renew my contract before the general assembly. He goes public with it later.
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"It was a brief meeting with Pedro Rocha, with the Secretary and the Vice President of equality. Short and the explanation was structural changes. In the end I always held on to the hope and the good fashion in which I was received and overall I was ready and motivated to manage in Nations League and potentially Olympics (Paris 2024)
"It's impossible to have obtained the results we did without having created a group that we put together two months before that later comes together. There was a very good feeling, without believing what the coaching staff did, it's impossible to be world champions.
Luis Rubiales, President of RFEF (Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)"In sporting terms I am going to accept all the criticisms, but on a personal level I think it has been unfair."
Vilda, who had been in charge of the national team since 2015, survived a player 'revolt' a year ago when 15 players signed identical letters stating they no longer wished to play for the national team. But he then remained in post for the successful World Cup campaign, with three of the 15 eventually returning to the fold.
The Spanish federation did provide a statement to announce Vilda's dismissal but did not give an exact reason for his departure. "The RFEF appreciates (Vilda's) work at the head of the national team and in his functions as the head of sports for the women's teams, as well as the successes achieved during his time crowned with the recent achievement of the World Cup," read the statement signed by Rocha.
"We value his impeccable personal and sporting conduct, being a key piece in the notable growth of women's football in Spain."