Sarina Wiegman Praises Spain’s Strength in the Face of Off-Field Challenges Before England Showdown

England’s manager, Sarina Wiegman (55), praised the resilience exhibited by Spain’s players during the trial of former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales (47) on Tuesday, ahead of their Women’s Nations League encounter.

Last week, Spain’s High Court ordered Rubiales to pay a fine of €10,800 for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips in front of a global television audience after Spain’s victory over England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney in 2023.

This incident sparked widespread outrage regarding sexism in Spain.

Spain subsequently secured the Nations League title in 2024 and finished fourth at the Paris Olympics.

Wiegman’s England side welcomes Spain to Wembley on Wednesday for a Nations League Group A3 match, a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final, and the Dutch coach expressed her admiration for the opposing team’s ability to stay focused and perform under pressure.

“This highlights that they are an exceptionally talented team, but it also demonstrates their resilience and bravery,” Wiegman shared with the media.

“We need to continue to talk about these issues, unfortunately, and we must communicate to the world that we stand with them in solidarity, in the hope that it will lead to change. I believe it has already made a difference.”

England forward Alessia Russo, who plays alongside Spanish internationals Laia Codina and Mariona Caldentey at Arsenal, echoed her coach’s views.

“We’ve shown our support for them from the very beginning. It’s truly unfortunate that they’ve had to endure this,” Russo commented.

“We hope it drives change moving forward, and it’s a testament to the players’ courage to speak out while continuing to perform at such a high level.

“While I have teammates at Arsenal who have faced similar issues, they’ve handled everything with remarkable composure. We stand by them and support them entirely.”

England has secured two wins from their last five matches, as the team aims to regain peak form in preparation for the European Championship in Switzerland in July, where they will look to defend their title.

When asked whether a victory over the world champions Spain would help to silence her team’s critics, Wiegman responded, “We’re not playing football to silence critics; we’re playing to win matches.”

“Our aim is to perform at our best once again and maintain our connection as a team. We want to achieve greater consistency and build momentum in our game, which has been a challenge in recent outings.”