Recently, Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF), was rejected by the Spanish soccer community following a controversial move he made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The controversy began when Rubiales fired the Spanish Women’s National Team manager, Julen Lopetegui, just two days before their opening match in the World Cup. Rubiales made the decision after Lopetegui accepted a job as the manager of Real Madrid without informing Rubiales or the RFEF.
The decision was met with a lot of criticism from the Spanish soccer community. Many felt that Rubiales had acted too hastily and that he should have waited until after the World Cup to make a decision. The Spanish Women’s National Team went on to have a successful tournament, making it to the round of 16 before being eliminated by the United States.
Following the tournament, Rubiales was heavily criticized for his decision and was even booed at a ceremony honoring the Spanish Women’s National Team. This prompted Rubiales to issue an apology for his decision, but it was too little too late.
The Spanish soccer community has since rejected Rubiales and his leadership of the RFEF. Many feel that he has not done enough to support the women’s game and that his decision during the World Cup was a major misstep.
It remains to be seen if Rubiales will be able to regain the trust of the Spanish soccer community. Until then, it appears that his tenure as president of the RFEF is in serious jeopardy.
