Spain women's soccer team appoints first female coach

MADRID, Sept 06 (Agencies): Spain's soccer federation RFEF has appointed Montse Tome to succeed the fired Jorge Vilda as the women's national team coach, making her the first woman to manage the side, it said on Tuesday.
The announcement that Vilda had been sacked came earlier Tuesday amid ongoing fallout over Spanish soccer chief Luis Rubiales' non-consensual kiss of player Jenni Hermoso after the country's World Cup win.
In a statement that gave no reason for his dismissal and did not mention Hermoso, Rubiales, or the scandal, RFEF thanked 42-year-old Vilda for his, quote, "extraordinary sporting legacy."
FIFA suspended Rubiales just over a week ago - many are calling for his resignation.
The furor involving Rubiales has quickly spiraled into a national debate over women's rights and sexist behavior.
Vilda was considered a close ally of Rubiales.
The newly appointed Tome had been Vilda's assistant coach since 2018 and has since "established herself as a key player in the national team's growth," the RFEF said in a statement.
A new board formed after RFEF President Luis Rubiales' suspension by soccer's world governing body over the allegedly non-consensual kiss during the World Cup victory celebration two weeks ago terminated Vilda's contract.
In a statement that gave no reason for his dismissal and did not mention Hermoso, Rubiales or the scandal, RFEF thanked 42-year-old Vilda for his "extraordinary sporting legacy".
"The coach has been key to the remarkable growth of women's football and leaves Spain as world champions and second in the FIFA rankings," the RFEF statement said.
The furore involving Rubiales has quickly spiralled into a national debate over women's rights and sexist behaviour.
In a separate statement by interim President Pedro Rocha, the RFEF apologised for Rubiales' "inappropriate conduct".
"The damage caused to Spanish football, to Spanish sport, to Spanish society and the values of football and sport as a whole have been enormous," the three-page statement signed by Rocha said.
Vilda, considered a close ally of Rubiales, had been under fire since last year after 15 players staged a mutiny calling for his resignation because of inadequate coaching methods and calling for conditions to match those of the men's squad.
Most of the players involved were cut from the squad even as some demands were met.
Danae Boronat, a sports presenter who interviewed Spain's leading female players for her book "Don't Call Them Girls, Call Them Footballers", said players accused Vilda of micromanaging, such as instructing senior players what to say in interviews.