When England line up against world champions Spain on Sunday, they’ll do so not only for silverware – but against the backdrop of a story that has, in many ways, transcended football itself.
The last time these two teams met in a major tournament final, the furore that followed – protests, boycotts and even a hunger strike – overshadowed the historic achievement of Spain’s victory on the pitch.
Where celebrations and street parties should have erupted, the country instead found itself gripped by national unrest and a #MeToo movement that shook the very foundations of Spanish society.
From a footballing perspective, tensions had been building for months ahead of the 2023 World Cup final – most notably with the protest of ‘Las 15’, a group of players who made themselves unavailable for selection in September 2022. Their decision was a stand against poor player welfare, with particular focus on head coach Jorge Vilda and his management style.
Among their concerns were his questionable tactical acumen and alleged controlling behaviour. Vilda was reportedly known to enter players’ hotel rooms at night to talk, ask who they were meeting for coffee, and inspect their shopping bags. He was also widely viewed as a stooge of Luis Rubiales, the President of Spain’s Football Federation.
Despite the absence of 12 of the 15 players and the turmoil behind the scenes, Spain fought their way to the final and triumphed – beating England 1–0, despite Mary Earps’ penalty save.
Spain will go into Sunday’s Euros final against the backdrop of a story that has transcended football itself
The fallout was seismic when Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso as she made her way to the stage to lift the trophy
Rubiales insisted the kiss was consensual; Hermoso said it was not, and outrage followed
And then came the moment that set everything ablaze – when Rubiales kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso as she made her way to the stage to lift the trophy alongside her team-mates. The fallout was seismic. Rubiales insisted the kiss was consensual; Hermoso said it was not.
Initial reaction to the incident on the country’s most popular late-night radio sports show, ‘El Partidazo de la Cope’, ranged from shrugging indifference to outright defence of Rubiales.
24 hours later, the programme’s host, Juanma Castano, issued a solemn apology, saying he ‘didn’t consider the difference in power and it’s true that it’s a boss kissing an employee’.
The world took sides – and so did Spain’s players. 81 of them, including all 23 World Cup winners, announced they would not return to international duty while Rubiales remained in post. His mother went on hunger strike in support of her son.
Within a month, the Federation yielded. Vilda was dismissed, and Rubiales eventually stepped down. Montse Tome, Vilda’s assistant, was appointed head coach – the first woman to hold the role. Rubiales would later be found guilty of sexual assault, though acquitted of coercion.
Netflix later released a documentary entitled ‘It’s All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football’, and the story continued to dominate headlines, sparking a wider cultural movement.
Now, almost two years on, Spain stand on the brink of another major final. But a sense of unresolved tension lingers – a tug-of-war between the desire to focus on football and the reality that the process of healing and rebuilding trust remains unfinished.
Keira Walsh, England’s midfielder and a former Barcelona player with close ties to many in the Spain squad, spoke candidly on Thursday: ‘Experiencing what it was like in Spain, I think they probably could have had more,’ she said.
81 of Spain’s players, including all 23 World Cup winners, announced they would not return to international duty while Rubiales remained in post
Rubiales would eventually step down and be found guilty of sexual assault, though acquitted of coercion
Now, Spain are in a tug-of-war between the desire to focus on football and the reality that the process of healing and rebuilding trust
‘The way our league jumped after we won the Euros, if you compare it to Spain, it probably wasn’t the same. They had just won the World Cup, and they could have had more support.
‘After the game there was all the controversy, and I don’t think there was enough spotlight on how incredibly they had played. It was all about everything else and as a professional that was difficult to see.’
Tome has faced her own challenges – chief among them earning the trust of a squad that once viewed her as part of the old guard. Some of that mistrust stemmed from her public support of Rubiales, applauding him when he declared he was ‘not going to step aside’. Notably absent from her Euros squad is Hermoso – the official line due to ‘competition for places’, though the decision has raised eyebrows.
But there is a sense that the players want the focus to return to the pitch, rather than remain off it. After all, they boast one of the most formidable midfields in the women’s game, led by Patri, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas.
Patri, who returned last year from a two-year exile alongside Claudia Pina after receiving assurances from the RFEF that changes would be made, has lit up this year’s tournament – as has Pina.
As former player and veteran journalist Sandra Riquelme put it: ‘The price to pay has been very high, just ask Jenni Hermoso. But without justifying it, if it has served to bring about the biggest change in the history of Spanish football, then good has come of it.’
