The 2023 World Cup came to a close on Sunday when Spain and England made their first-ever World Cup Final appearances. The match was played out in front of nearly 76,000 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney. After an exciting match filled with solid saves, close calls, and a blocked penalty kick, Spain came out on top. Unfortunately, their victory was overshadowed by the Spanish Football Federation’s poor behavior after the win.
Let’s hear it for Olga
Olga Carmona, whose late goal against Sweden sealed Spain’s trip to the World Cup Final, came in clutch once again. The 23-year-old’s goal in the 29th minute ended up being the game-decider, as the final score was 1-0. After sending the ball into the lower right corner of the goal, Carmona celebrated by lifting her jersey up to reveal a message she’d written on her undershirt: Merchi.
GOAL !!!!
— SamNews (@Samnews101) August 20, 2023
OLGA CARMONA
SPAIN 1 : ENGLAND 0#Spain #England pic.twitter.com/waDU45tl6n
Carmona later revealed that Merchi is the name of her friend’s mother, who recently passed away.
Unfortunately, Carmona found out after the match that her father had passed away a couple days prior to the final. On Sunday evening, Carmona posted a brief statement about her father’s death and how “[she] had [her] star before the game started.” Beyond Women’s Sports staff send our condolences to Carmona and her family.
Y sin saberlo tenía mi Estrella antes de que empezase el partido. Sé que me has dado la fuerza para conseguir algo único. Sé que me has estado viendo esta noche y que estás orgulloso de mí. Descansa en paz, papá 🌟❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/Uby0mteZQ3
— Olga Carmona (@7olgacarmona) August 20, 2023
What the win means for women’s soccer
Last year, 15 members of the Spanish National Team sent their resignations to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The players resigned due to poor training sessions, poor medical and nutritional assistance, little to no rest between matches, and a lack of privacy, as coach Jorge Vilda wouldn’t allow players to have their doors locked on international duty. Since then, most of those 15 players have returned to the national team. The only players who have not asked to return to the national team are Ainhoa Moraza, Patri Guijarro, Amaiur Sarriegi, Mapi León, Claudia Pina, Lola Gallardo, and Nerea Eizaguirre.
While the win is exciting for the Spanish players, it sets a grim standard that federations can treat their players however they want and still reap the rewards. After winning the World Cup, the federation publicly doubled down on their support for Vilda by tweeting, “VILDA IN.” It appears that the players have quite an uphill battle ahead of themselves if they want to be free of Vilda.
☝️ 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗔 𝗜𝗡. pic.twitter.com/qmOJbNhAID
— Selección Española Femenina de Fútbol (@SEFutbolFem) August 20, 2023
Rubiales ruins the celebration
Content warning: The following section covers topics of sexual harassment
RFEF President Luis Rubiales was present for the World Cup Final, and he quickly made himself the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. When the match officially ended, he made an obscene gesture while celebrating in the stands (next to the royal family of Spain, no less). He later gave Jenni Hermoso an uninvited kiss on the mouth as the players were receiving their medals and kissed Carmona on the cheek as she was celebrating. Hermoso later stated that she was not okay with the kiss. Salma Paralluelo livestreamed the team’s locker room celebration on Instagram, where Rubiales is overheard telling the players that he will pay for a trip to Ibiza, where he will marry Hermoso. If this is how the President of RFEF acts in public, it’s frightening to imagine how he acts behind closed doors.
Luis Rubiales then enters the dressing room. He tells players that the FA will pay for a trip to Ibiza, and that is where he will marry Jenni Hermoso. The footage was posted on Salma Paralluelo's Instagram Live.https://t.co/UpJojODnh6
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) August 20, 2023
Congratulations to the Spanish and English players for making it to the World Cup Final. Thank you to Australia and New Zealand for being such welcoming hosts of a historic tournament. Here’s hoping that conditions are better for all players by the time we get to the 2027 World Cup, wherever that will be.
Not sure what to watch now that the World Cup is over? Tune into Paramount+ to watch the 2023 NWSL season. Follow me on Twitter and check out Beyond Women’s Sports for more sporting news.
