Sarina Wiegman has spoken of the intense emotions evoked by witnessing the scandal surrounding Luis Rubiales, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) president who has been suspended by Fifa, the sport’s world governing body.
Wiegman was speaking at the men’s Champions League draw in Monaco, where she was presented with the Uefa women’s coach of the year award for her work with England. She used the occasion to address, unprompted, the issue that has dominated football’s agenda over the past 10 days and highlighted the “hurt” inflicted.
Rubiales has been roundly condemned for kissing the Spain player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after their World Cup final win over Wiegman’s side but retains his position as a Uefa vice-president. “It feels a little different,” she said. “We all know the issues around the Spain team at the moment and it really hurts me as a coach, as a mother of two daughters, as a wife and as a human being.
“The game has grown so much but there’s also still a long way to go in women’s football and in society. And I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team, who played such good football. This team deserves to be celebrated and listened to.”
The Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, who was named women’s player of the year less than a fortnight after playing a starring role in the final, also took the opportunity to back Hermoso and call for change. “As a society we must not allow abuse of power in an employment relationship,” she said, clearly referring to Rubiales. “To Jenni Hermoso and to all those who suffer the same, know that we are with you.”
Gareth Southgate also addressed the situation on Thursday after naming his squad for next month’s meetings with Ukraine and Scotland. “I would say when you are a male in a leadership position you have a huge responsibility in terms of how you behave, in this instance a male interacting with females,” the England men’s coach said. “My second thought would be with the Spanish team. They played unbelievably well, deserve a huge amount of credit, and it is very sad the focus isn’t on what happened on the pitch.”
Rubiales has been banned for 90 days by Fifa pending disciplinary proceedings. He has refused to resign from his role in charge of the RFEF despite widespread calls to stand down. On Monday the RFEF’s regional presidents joined the chorus of voices requesting that he leave his position.
