Analysis: Wear, Tear and Anger: The Painful Road To Spain’s World Cup Glory

On the surface, everything looks great for Spain’s women’s national team. It’s the first time La Roja have lifted the World Cup trophy. It’s also the first major trophy for manager Jorge Vilda. On the surface. However one only needs to look through some of the numerous cracks to sense the potential for an earthquake, which has been tearing apart the team over the past 365 days.

Even for casuals, the tension and division was palpable in the celebrations. Coaches and players celebrated on opposite ends of the pitch, demonstrating the unfiltered reality of La Roja’s current situation. It’s not a problem of yesterday, and it’s not a problem that will likely soon fade away. Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso during the celebration, a highly-criticised move that only adds fuel to the fire. Was there a necessity for the RFEF president to make it about himself, once again? Hermoso later came out saying that she ‘didn’t enjoy it [the kiss]’. Irene Montero, the provisional Spanish minister of quality, did not hide her anger – “ a form of sexual violence that we women suffer on a daily basis and until now has been invisible”. Instead of apologising for his actions, Rubiales instead told the radio to “not listen to these idiots […] and let us enjoy these moments”.

After all, it’s probably the best representation of everything that’s wrong with the feminina team. The direction and the players cooperate together (to a certain extent), but definitely live in two different realities. It only takes a little time travel to understand where all the conflict started, over a year ago, when fifteen players signed a letter demanding improvements in Jorge Vilda and the Federation’s management. Players would have their bag searched and the