Luis Rubiales offers unpopular Spain boss Jorge Vilda an extension

Luis Rubiales offers unpopular Spain boss Jorge Vilda a four-year extension worth over £425k-a-year live on stage during car crash press conference

• Spain’s World Cup winning coach Jorge Vilda has been offered a new contract
• Vilda has been given a verbal proposal by Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales
• WATCH: It’s All Coming Up – Mail Sport’s preview show for the weekend’s football

Spain’s under-pressure Women’s World Cup winning coach Jorge Vilda was bizarrely offered a new four-year contract in a surprise announcement during an emergency meeting of the nation’s footballing federation on Friday.

Vilda’s future has been the subject of speculation with suggestions in Spain pointing to him leaving his managerial position in charge of the women’s team after falling out with several players.

However, in a strange moment of defiance, Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales – who also used his speech to signal he won’t be resigning from his post – offered to extend Vilda’s contract and labelled him as the ‘best manager in women’s football’.

Speaking to a male-dominated crowd at the confederation meeting, Rubiales announced: ‘I have activated the mechanisms to start a negotiation with you in which I invite you to stay with us for the next four years charging half a million euros a year.

‘You deserve it’ since ‘you are the best coach in the world and you have earned it with the conquest of the World Cup, because you (Vilda) and your coaching staff are also World Champions.’

Spain head coach Jorge Vilda has been offered a new contract to stay on as women’s manager

Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales (right) offered Vilda (left) a new deal during a speech on Friday

Vilda (left) has endured an unpopular relationship with a collection of Spain’s players

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The revelation was met by a round of applause by those inside the venue as Rubiales continued to address the crowd. 

Vilda guided Spain to the World Cup in Sydney as they overcame England in 90 minutes to clinch their global crown.

However, the  42-year-old is under scrutiny and must salvage his relationship with players given he is not liked by sections of the national team.

His unpopularity was highlighted when 15 of the Spanish national team withdrew from the squad before 12 of whom returned to be called up for the World Cup.

There was public backlash from supporters at the World Cup with the players’ revolt even seeing Vilda booed when his name was announced over the speakers around the ground inside Stadium Australia during the final.

Vilda survived talk suggesting he was set to be sacked before the competition got underway and went on to lead the nation to becoming world champions, however, his relationship with Rubiales puts him in unpopular company.

Rubiales shocked the world when he kissed Spanish player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth as she collected her winners medal in Sydney and drew further criticism after footage showed him grabbing his crotch while standing near Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter Princess Infanta Sofia in the stands.

However, Rubiales and Vilda appear to share a close relationship, celebrating with one another after the women’s team success despite being accused of creating a controlling environment and Mundo Deportivo reporting he forced players to keep the doors of their rooms open so he could check they’d gone to sleep.

Vilda helped guide Spain to the Women’s World Cup in Australia this summer where they beat England in the final

Rubiales (right) told Vilda (left) the new deal would be worth £425k-per-year during a live speech

Vilda also allegedly checked the players’ bags when they returned from shopping trips and demanded they inform him who they were meeting outside of the team camp.

In 2022, 15 players wrote to the Spanish FA making themselves unavailable for selection while Vilda was in charge.

Footage emerged of Vilda appearing to touch a female staff member on the breast after Spain scored their winning goal in the final.

The Spaniard has since been announced as one of the three nominations for UEFA’s  women’s coach of the year.

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