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Sarina Wiegman, manager of Engand women's football team, wants the focus to be on Spain's World Cup winners rather than their disgraced former president Luis Rubiales.
Rubiales courted controversy in the aftermath of Spain's FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 final win over England in Sydney last month. In the award presentation, the then RFEF president kissed Spain's Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent while hugging her.
The incident immediately took the sheen off La Roja's first Women's World Cup win and shifted the focus on Rubiales. Hermoso has since filed a sexual assault case on Rubiales, and FIFA has now suspended him. Rubiales subsequently resigned as the president of the RFEF.
Wiegman, who has had an excellent run with The Lionesses, has been awarded the UEFA Coach of The Year award. In a magnanimous gesture, the Dutchwoman has dedicated her award to the victorious Spanish players, who beat her team 1-0 in the final.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Wiegman said (as per Yahoo! Sport) that the achievement of the La Roja players need to be celebrated:
“I think what I want to talk about now is that we have to celebrate football and that we should celebrate the players, the Spanish players who won the World Cup – and we haven’t been talking about that at all.
“Of course, we all have seen and followed the news, that things are still going on, and I would like to leave that now with the people who are working on that, and celebrate those players. Players need to be listened to, and we need to move on."
Sarina Wiegman concerned about Three Lionesses' lack of rest
Sarina Wiegman has had an excellent run with The Lionesses since taking charge in August 2020. She led them to an European Championship win in 2022, beating Germany 2-1 in the final.
Injury-ravaged England arrived Down Under with modest hopes but exceeded expectations by reaching the final, where they went down by a solitary goal to an excellent Spanish team.
However, the Dutchwoman is worried, as her players haven't had enough rest since that run. England take on Scotland and the Netherlands in the UEFA Women's Nations League later this month. While announcing her team for the two games, Sarina Wiegman said (as per Telegraph):
“I am very worried. I was worried before the World Cup, and we knew it was a short turnaround. We really have to get connected with FIFA and UEFA to make that better. The game is growing, which is really good, but it has to grow together, and players need some rest, too.
“Some players only had six days off, and that’s not good for them. The urgency to solve this and make it better is really, really high. It’s so intense. Players are not robots.”
England play Scotland at home on September 22 before taking on the Netherlands away four days later.
