There has been controversy surrounding the head coach of the Spanish women’s national team, Jorge Velda, for a long time.
Dubbed “VildaGate” in the Spanish press, the controversy started as a result of players’ dissatisfaction with the coach, and eventually went so far as to ask the players to sack the coach.
Spain was knocked out in the quarter-finals of EC this summer, which was much lower than expected. The coach’s response to the criticism afterwards does not have to meet the players’ expectations.
After the Spanish federation stated that it had no intention of sacking the coach and that it condemned the players’ statements, the players took matters into their own hands, sending emails announcing their withdrawal from the national team.
In the emails, players must have written that circumstances affect their emotional state and health, and that they will withdraw from the national team if the circumstances are not reversed.
The response of the Spanish Federation was scathing. They insist they will not allow players to question the coach, claiming that the players’ actions were harmful to the nation and outside the values of football.
They further wrote that players who have withdrawn from the national team will return to the national team only if they accept that they have made a mistake and ask for forgiveness.
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