Vilda tight-lipped on Spain future after World Cup triumph

SYDNEY - Jorge Vilda refused to say if he will stay on as coach after leading Spain to their first Women's World Cup crown with a 1-0 win over England in Sunday's final.

The 42-year-old was hit with a rebellion from his squad a year ago when 15 players said they no longer wanted to represent the country.

Vilda's tactics and his strict personality were among a litany of complaints about him and the Spanish football federation.

He called up three of the 15 for Spain's World Cup campaign, which culminated in them lifting the trophy in Sydney.

The players threw him in the air afterwards in celebration.

But when asked twice afterwards by reporters about his future, he replied: "Right now we are going to celebrate winning the World Cup.

"We are going to go home and celebrate with our loves ones, and then we will see." Asked by AFP if he had a message for the people and players who had doubted him, he replied: "I am very happy for everyone and very happy that our national team wins, that is all." The Spanish team's Twitter account hinted at the discord, posting a picture of Vilda kissing the World Cup trophy and the words, "VILDA IN".

Asked by a reporter what that meant, Vilda, who has been in charge since 2015, replied: "The support of the federation was essential since the beginning of last year.

"It has been constant, not only from the president, but from all of the federation, from all the employees.

"It has been a hard year on the management side which helped all of us improve." - AFP