Sarina Wiegman has said Jenni Hermoso is showing “remarkable courage and bravery” with her decision to lodge an appeal following the conviction of Luis Rubiales for sexual assault but acquittal for coercion.
Last week Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso without consent during the medal ceremony of the World Cup final in 2023, with the court ruling he pay a €10,000 (£8,290) fine. However, Rubiales and his three co-defendants were cleared of the charge of coercion, for having allegedly put pressure on Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual. Rubiales has said he too will be appealing.
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Speaking before England host Spain at Wembley on Wednesday, the first meeting of the two sides since Spain’s 1-0 victory in that World Cup final in Sydney, England’s head coach Wiegman reiterated her support for Spain’s players and said their remarkable comeback to earn a 3-2 win over Belgium just over 24 hours after the trial’s verdict demonstrated how brave they are.
“It says first of all that they are a very good team,” said Wiegman. “It also shows resilience; they are so brave. We are talking about it again today because we have to keep talking about it and telling the world we stand in solidarity with their fight to make change.”
The Arsenal forward Alessia Russo added her support too. “We have stood in solidarity with them since the moment it began and it’s really a shame they have had to have gone through this, but we hope it makes a change going forward,” she said. “It’s a testament to the players to be so brave to speak out and to perform at the levels they have. We stand with them and back them all the way.
“I know it’s been tough on teammates who I have played with [Arsenal’s Laia Codina and Mariona Caldentey]. They have acted with so much class. The community that women’s football has is really special. Whether it’s good or bad we come together as one. Ultimately, we all want the same for women’s football and [for it] to be at the highest levels.”
Wiegman confirmed that every member of England’s squad is available for the visit of the world champions with Lucy Bronze, who was withdrawn at half-time in England’s 1-1 draw with Portugal on Friday, fit to play.
England got off to a strong start against Portugal but struggled in the second half and Wiegman urged critics to remember the context of a changing game and more competitive matches when analysing results.
“We work really hard and try to play our best every single day,” she said. “No game is going to be easy anymore. The world has changed. We are adapting and of course we are trying to win every game.
“We’re not playing football to beat the critics. We’re playing football to win games and all we can do is just try to be at our best. We want to get more consistency, to keep it going longer. Then we move forward. Sometimes things go really well, sometimes things don’t go as well. We try to stay neutral.”
Asked whether there is a desire for revenge for the World Cup final loss, Wiegman said: “No, I don’t see it as revenge, just another game. That was the final and we were disappointed we didn’t win it, but we move on.”
