Sonia Bermúdez replaces Montse Tomé and the applause for Rubiales continues.

It was reported some time ago in this newspaper and, as usual, was confirmed by unofficial sources the day before it became official. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) will not renew the contract of Asturian Montse Tomé , which expires on August 31, and her replacement as head coach of the senior women's national team will be Sonia Bermúdez , until now the U-23 national team coach.

Although the decision was supposedly made this Monday by the Board of Directors , chaired by Galician Rafael Louzán , the truth is, as we mentioned, they simply ratified it in what was a purely procedural meeting. In fact, one board member expressed reservations about Bermúdez's appointment, but it didn't matter. However, placing Iraia Iturregi from Biscay at her side demonstrates a lack of confidence in the new coach's abilities.

In short, nothing new at the RFEF, with the replacement of one of Rubiales' supporters for another who was sitting next to him during that shameful assembly in which the former president tried to entrench himself, to the delight of his loyal followers like Sonia.

The most surprising thing is that, as we also reported in El Confidencial , the new national team coach is precisely the one the players wanted . At least the ones who still have the most weight and influence in the dressing room, and, given what we've seen, will continue to have it.

Which, by the way, doesn't predict the necessary change of pace that Sonia Bermúdez seems unlikely to bring. While he knows the players coming up behind him, the question is whether he'll be able to make room for them by letting go of some of the previously untouchable players.

Has Reyes Bellver made the decision?

The most curious thing is that at first the favorite of the new director of women's football at the RFEF, Reyes Bellver , and, by extension, of her second in command, the coordinator of national teams, María Pry , was José Luis Sánchez Vera , who not in vain left the Real Sociedad bench despite having one more year on his contract.

However, it seems that the former lawyer for the FUTPRO union , as well as a candidate to preside over the Liga Profesional de Fútbol Femenino (LPFF) and a player agent, has accepted the preferences of the veterans . This is undoubtedly one of the greatest problems in women's football, with inbreeding that generates social rejection and, therefore, prevents its growth.

Sonia Bermúdez (Madrid, 1984) played for Sporting de Huelva , Sabadell , Rayo Vallecano , FC Barcelona , WNY Flash , the United States, Atlético de Madrid and UD Levante . In this twenty-year career, in which she also played internationally, she won nine league titles, three Copa de la Reina titles and was top scorer four times.

Bermúdez started in the Real Madrid cadet team

After retiring in May 2020, she began coaching Real Madrid's U15 women's team . Given the close relationship between Real Madrid's sporting director, Ana Rossell , and the then national team coach and RFEF sporting director, Jorge Vilda , Vilda signed her as the U15 coach in 2022.

Bermúdez subsequently took charge of the U-19 team, with whom he won the European Championship in 2023 and 2024 , the U-20 team, and is currently managing the U-23 team, a team that is now disappearing. Now, a new cycle begins with the 2027 World Cup as the next major objective, where Spain will aim to retain the world championship title they achieved in 2023.

A title that triggered Rubiales' downfall with his shameful behavior in the Sydney stadium box and his infamous peck on Jenni Hermoso , which led to his disqualification and ended with a conviction for sexual assault, in addition to being investigated in the Majadahonda Court.

In between, a resignation that Sonia Bermúdez, like Montse Tomé, only supported after the fact , after applauding Rubiales' refusal to leave, in images that, whether they like it or not, will always accompany them, although it seems that some footballers, in the case of their new national team coach, have forgotten.