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Spain\u2019s Women\u2019s World Cup-winning head coach Jorge Vilda has criticised suspended football federation president Luis Rubiales, calling the moment he kissed squad member Jennifer Hermoso \u201cinappropriate and unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n
Rubiales was suspended by Fifa on Saturday after\u00a0Hermoso said the kiss prior to the team lifting the trophy was not consensual.<\/p>\n
Vilda\u2019s entire coaching staff\u00a0have resigned in protests against Rubiales, but Vilda himself has not stepped down despite his latest comments.<\/p>\n
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The coach was spotted applauding at the Spanish federation\u2019s extraordinary general assembly on Friday when\u00a0Rubiales gave an emphatic speech in which he repeatedly insisted he would not resign and claimed to be the victim of \u201csocial assassination\u201d.<\/p>\n
The two had been allies after Rubiales stood by Vilda in September 2022 when 15 national-team players pulled out of the squad, saying that the manager\u2019s management was affecting their emotional state and health.<\/p>\n
Of those 15, only three opted to return to the Spain squad which went on to beat England in the final in Sydney.<\/p>\n
Vilda released a statement on Saturday night, saying: \u201cI regret deeply that the victory of Spanish women\u2019s football has been harmed by the inappropriate behaviour that our until now top leader, Luis Rubiales, has carried out and that he himself has recognised.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no doubt that it is unacceptable and does not reflect at all the principles and values that I defend in my life, in sport in general and in football in particular.<\/p>\n
\u201cI condemn without doubt any macho attitude, [which should be] far from an advanced and developed society.<\/p>\n
\u201cA clearly undesirable climate has been generated, far from what should have been a great celebration of Spanish sport and women\u2019s sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reiterate my unwavering commitment to promoting a sport that is a model of equality and respect in our society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fifa has\u00a0provisionally suspended\u00a046-year-old Rubiales, a former La Liga player for Levante, from any football-related activities for an initial 90 days.<\/p>\n
Spain\u2019s government has also\u00a0started legal proceedings as they aim to suspend him.<\/p>\n
Vilda is now the only coach from the women\u2019s national team who remains in place, with assistant managers Montse Tome, Javier Lerga and Eugenio Gonzalo Martin, physio Blanca Romero Moraleda and goalkeeping coach Carlos Sanchez all having quit their posts earlier on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Some 81 Spain players, including all 23 World Cup winners, said they would not play for the team again while Rubiales was in charge.<\/p>\n
Rubiales had claimed the kiss with Pachuca forward Hermoso, 33, was consensual, something she strongly denied in a statement.<\/p>\n
The RFEF then launched a remarkable statement on Friday night\u00a0threatening legal action against Hermoso for her \u201clies\u201d.<\/p>\n
That statement was later altered following Rubiales\u2019 suspension but still carries the threat of legal action against \u201ceach falsehood that is spread\u201d.<\/p>\n
Like Vilda, the men\u2019s national team boss, Luis de la Fuente, also applauded Rubiales\u2019 speech on Friday before issuing a statement criticising him.<\/p>\n
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