Luis Rubiales is a "caveman" who must be forced to resign as president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) following his conduct at the Women's World Cup final, says former Italy striker Carolina Morace.
Rubiales has been widely criticised for his behaviour following Spain's 1-0 win over England in Sydney, having grabbed and kissed Roja star Jennifer Hermoso on the lips during the celebrations.
Hermoso said she "didn't like" the kiss during an Instagram live broadcast from inside the dressing room, and FIFA has since opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales – who was also seen grabbing his crotch while stood next to Spain's Queen Letizia and her daughter.
Rubiales was expected to announce his departure at a press conference on Thursday, only to refuse to resign during an extraordinary speech.
"A social assassination is being carried out, they are trying to kill me. For the last five years, I have suffered persecution," Rubiales said, adding: "A consensual peck is enough to get me out of here?"
In a joint statement released later on Friday, Spain's World Cup winners said they would not play any games while Rubiales remained in post, increasing the pressure on him to leave.
Morace – who scored over 100 goals for Italy before managing the team between 2000 and 2005 – was repulsed by Rubiales' behaviour, telling Stats Perform: "I saw a caveman in the stands with attitudes that we in women's football don't want to have. Let him keep those for the men's football.
"I think everyone distanced themselves from the attitude he had. I'm sorry that there have been people who have started to say, 'but the player has not reported it, so maybe it's a loving gesture'.
"Her first reaction was disgust. Of course then the president went there to talk to her and tell her what to do.
"Then when the whole controversy came out, Hermoso went back to saying certain things. Let's say she is free again. It was so clear that things went that way.
"There are also people who defended him. No way. I'm happy because Spain is a serious country and therefore politicians have reacted in a certain way.
"Now if this president doesn't resign, I hope the sponsors distance themselves from the team and from what's happening, but I think he will be forced to resign."
This is not the first controversy to rock women's football in Spain. Last year, a group of 15 players refused to represent La Roja under head coach Jorge Vilda, who was supported by the RFEF and subsequently took just three of the rebels to the World Cup.
Some reports alleged Spain's players were forbidden from locking their doors at hotels ahead of games, which Morace views as another sign of outdated attitudes prevailing at the RFEF.
"There have also been attitudes from the coach who expects the girls from Spain to sleep with the door open," Morace added. "This is madness. It is normal that he had 15 players against him.
"I would never ask my players to keep their doors open. How dare you? I mean, those aren't 12-year-old girls. They are adults and keeping the doors open means you can come in whenever you want."
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also attracted criticism for telling female players to "pick the right battles" and "convince" men of the validity of claims for equal pay last week.
For attitudes towards women's football to be modernised, Morace believes more women must assume roles at the top of the game.
She added: "There were women of a certain type in FIFA who no longer work in FIFA, like Tatjana Haenni who has now become responsible for the American professional league, and Mayi Blanco who is also responsible for events.
"In my opinion we went back 10 years by sending them home, we had to start again from there. That was a good starting point, now we're back. Now Infantino has to tell us what we have to do.
"He must choose the right people to make a movement grow, but they must be people who are inside the movement and who believe in the movement, not people taken from outside and brought in."
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life without Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
NFL teams unwilling to hand Belichick total control, suggests Pennel
Bill Belichick's failure to land another coaching role in the NFL after leaving the New England Patriots was unsurprising due to the level of control he demands, says his former tackle Mike Pennel.
Belichick is regarded as one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history, leading the Patriots to nine Super Bowls and winning six during 23 seasons in charge between 2000 and 2023.
His six Super Bowl titles as a head coach match the best returns of any franchise in NFL history, with the Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers both possessing six.
He is also within reach of Don Shula's record for the most victories as an NFL head coach, with his total of 333 (including postseason games) putting him 14 behind the Miami Dolphins legend (347).
If only regular-season games are counted, Belichick has 302 victories to Shula's 328.
However, Belichick parted company with the Patriots after they went 4-13 during a dismal 2023 season, and he was unable to land a new role despite being linked with several teams, including the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys.
Pennel, who spent six months with Belichick's Patriots in 2019, believes the level of control he demands over a franchise's direction proved off-putting.
"Bill Belichick's one of the greatest coaches of all time, if not that. So it's going to look a lot different. He was coaching in the NFL before I was even alive," he told Stats Perform.
"I'm clearly just speculating because I'm not part of the New England Patriots franchise, but I just think the situation was, it was that time where they wanted to change.
"They wanted a fresh face and Bill wants things to run a certain way and I don't think franchises are willing to relinquish that much control to a new coach.
"I just think he wants to take his time. I know he's a family man and just wants to enjoy the time with his family. He's already done everything."
Jerod Mayo has taken the reins in Foxborough following Belichick's departure, with quarterback Drake Maye being drafted third overall to lead the team into a new era.
Pennel, however, believes teething problems will be part of the process this year, saying: "It's hard. It takes some time. You know, there's a couple years of transition depending on how much time you have with the players and everything like that.
"You're learning a whole new system. You're learning with all new players, you're learning with all new staff, so it's very hard.
"I don't think it's ever happened like that, in the first year to go to a Super Bowl. It's hard to get to that successful level."
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