We cannot remember a Spanish Football Federation so weak, a coach so questioned or an atmosphere before such an important match in which less is talked about football and more about other external issues that have left the prestige of Spanish sport in tatters. And all of this was seen yesterday in Tbilisi, in the Caucasus, the capital of Georgia, 5,168 kilometers and a seven-hour flight from Madrid, where the vagaries of the qualifying schedule for next year's Euro Cup in Germany have brought this Spanish team that after their defeat in Glasgow they need to win at any cost so as not to lose their footing in the group as well. Only that was missing from the Federation.
The new leaders of Las Rozas (or old ones) cling to football. It is the most reliable thing they have in these times where everything seems interim and confusing, plagued by judicial unknowns. Now the first objective is to quickly distance oneself from Luis Rubiales and his legacy, which seems to contaminate everything.
In the Federation the motto is only to talk about football. Forget about an extraordinary assembly that seems to have been a century ago, but which was only two weeks ago, on August 25, and in which those who now rant about Luis Rubiales were the first to stand up and applaud him when the former president He denied five times that he was going to resign.
Among the first to applaud was Pedro Rocha, Rubiales's right-hand man and whom he named his successor that same day. Now Rocha heads the delegation, he defines himself only “as a soccer man” and refuses to answer when he will call elections.
Among those who applauded in the front row when Rubiales brought out toads and snakes against feminism was also Luis de la Fuente. The coach has been kept and strictly complies with the slogan of taking refuge in football. Yesterday he did not even want to comment on the dismissal of Jorge Vilda, to his right in the assembly. The coach, looking increasingly tired, had to face a press conference that was very bitter for him. He said he has not had any peace since he took office (nine months ago) and said he “feels strong and supported.” To the question of what would happen if Spain lost today, he responded with a touch of humor: “And if we win 0-7, what?”
The concentration has also portrayed the footballers, who began it with a very lukewarm statement that has received nothing but censure despite calling Luis Rubiales' behavior "unacceptable." Reaching a consensus should not have been easy.
The proof was the next day, at Dani Carvajal's press conference, who had the idea of equating Luis Rubiales and Jenni Hermoso, asking for the presumption of innocence for both of them. “I sympathize with Jenni but Luis Rubiales must not be having a good time either,” he stated. “Rubiales always had exceptional treatment with me and as a footballer,” concluded the Leganés full-back.
At yesterday's press conference, Rodrigo Hernández, one of the most important footballers in Spanish football, came out to show his face, and he got little wet: “The situation is not pleasant and that is why the players wanted to address it on the first day. “It was important to make things clear.”
Proof of the nervousness that exists in the Federation is that the team had to train yesterday in Tbilisi in sneakers. The trunks with the players' boots and gloves did not arrive on time and the preparatory session was inappropriate for a professional group. This morning there will be one last training session, already with boots and ball. If they arrived in the early hours of yesterday, of course.
There have never been so many people interested in Spain winning. If not, it is not surprising that more than one person comes out with the saying that “this didn't happen with Rubiales.”
