Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s Joanna Pardos-directorial ‘It’s All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football’ living up to its title by delving into a 2023 controversy, we get a documentary unlike any other. That’s because it underscores not just the Spanish Women’s National team’s struggles to be taken seriously but also the way they took a stand against the leaders of their federation. Amongst them was actually their head coach as well as sporting director, Jorge Vilda, against whom many of the athletes had already voiced their serious concerns and complaints.
Jorge Vilda Has a Long and Personal Connection With Soccer
It was back when Jorge was just a young boy growing up in Madrid, Spain, that he first developed a passion for the sport of soccer thanks to the influence of his coach father, Ángel Vilda. He actually ended up playing for a few youth organizations like Barcelona, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Madrid to hone his skills while still in school before deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps. In fact, he joined the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) as an assisting coach to Ángel at the Women’s Under 17 and 19 levels, only to take up the mantle upon gaining experience in 2009.
Under Jorge’s leadership, the Under 17 squad actually earned many accolades, including gold in the 2010 as well as 2011 EUROs, bronze in the 2013 EUROs, and silver in the 2014 EUROs. They even accompanied this with bronze at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and silver in the 2014 World Cup, ultimately resulting in their coach Jorge being called up to serve the Women’s National Team. But alas, not only was he not nearly as successful in this position as he was with the youngsters, but his stint was later also marred by many brutal controversies and serious dissensions.
Jorge Vilda Has Faced Several Accusations Throughout His Career
According to records, it was in 2022 when the team Jorge was coaching came forward to indicate they didn’t believe he was qualified enough to be in the position he was for a myriad of reasons. Many players have allegedly gone as far as to claim he never had any strategies or set courses of action for games and was also blank whenever they asked for help in difficult situations. He reportedly claimed to have proper pre-planned plays in mind for every circumstance against every formidable opponent, yet they were seemingly never communicated to the athletes.
Furthermore, a few well-reputed veteran players of the national team even alleged in 2022-2023 that Jorge’s behavior was often extremely controlling as well as inappropriate. That’s because, they expressed, it was not unusual for him to ask players to leave their hotel bedroom doors open at night during tournaments so he could speak to them at the end of the day. “He used to say it was the only moment he had to talk to us, individually,” forward Jenni Hermoso once candidly said in a television interview. “From when he’d knock on the door of the first players until he got to the last, maybe some players would have gone to sleep.”
Moreover, and more importantly, it has also been reported that whenever anyone went shopping while on the road, Jorge had to know all the details of what they bought before checking the same. However, the strangest thing for the athletes was that he allegedly even demanded to know about their social lives when they went out —who they were with, what they did, and what they discussed. Nevertheless, because this coach had the support of RFEF every step of the way, even the boycotting of 15 players just prior to the 2023 World Cup didn’t make an administrative difference.
Jorge Vilda is Still a Head Coach, Just Not Under the Banner of RFEF
It actually wasn’t until after the Spanish Women’s National team won the Cup in August 2023 that everything turned upside down for Jorge, RFEF’s President Luis Rubiales, as well as many more. After all, during the medal ceremony, the then-president kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips in front of the entire world and then vehemently asserted it was consensual, only for her to state otherwise. Thus began an investigation into the same, resulting in Luis’ suspension mere days after he declared in a press conference he would not resign as he did nothing wrong while also offering Jorge a renewed contract that increased his salary from €170,000 to €500,000.
In the end, while Luis was suspended on September 5, 2023, Jorge was dismissed by then acting president as both Head Coach and Sporting Director owing to all the accusations against him. Little did anybody publicly know at the time his status in the incident would be upgraded from witness to suspect around 22 days later on September 27, with many athletes claiming he had tried to coerce Jenni, as well as some others, into putting forth a positive act. Yet, despite everything, the RFEF still recommended this happily married father of two as a coach to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, resulting in him becoming their Women’s National Team’s Head Coach in October.
Nevertheless, it’s imperative to note that Jorge is still under investigation and has actually been formally charged with one count of coercion, for which he is soon expected to face a jury trial. If convicted, he will receive a maximum of 18 months behind bars, but of course, not only does he remain innocent until proven otherwise, but he has also long since maintained his integrity. In fact, shortly following his dismissal, he released a statement reading, in part, “After everything that was achieved, after giving everything working, my conscience is clear: I have given 100% over 17 years, and I do not understand [the decision], I did not deserve my sacking… What hurts most is that my honor and behavior are questioned.”
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