Spain: Montse Tome sacked, but the saga of incompetence is set to continue – Analysis | OneFootball

Close to a year ago, now former Spain manager Montse Tome stirred outrage by blocking Jenni Hermoso from a return to the national team. In doing so, she represented the continuity after Jorge Vilda’s dismissal. After a tumultuous stint, she was dismissed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday, her contract not renewed. Her successor, Sonia Bermudez, is not promising…

After students graduate from university, they are taught to use all their tools they have learned to enter the professional world. Yet there is a reason that the popular marketing phrase no es fútbol, es la Liga rings so true for fans of Spanish football. All of the laws of professionalism do not apply under the Castilian sun, especially when it comes to Women’s football.

Tome will be remembered for two things: representing the continuity of disgraced former manager Jorge Vilda, and for losing the Euro 2025 to Spain’s most important rival, England. Back in 2023, Spain defeated England in the World Cup final, where Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso without her consent. Eventually, he was forced to resign, and along with him fell his right-hand man Vilda, at the time at the head of the women’s team. More than his lack of expertise in football, he was criticised for attempting to psychologically manipulate players as a sexist, in addition to ignoring the players’ recovery time as he regularly rushed them back from injury.

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In autumn of the same year, Tome was chosen by the RFEF to replace Vilda. She had been his assistant and represented the continuity path, but was also liked in that role by many players. Things turned quickly when she consistently refused to call up Hermoso, the victim at the centre of the Rubiales drama. She first claimed that she wanted to ‘protect her’, before changing the excuse five months later to ‘her head is not in football as a result of the harassment’. Tome’s subpar choices cost her popularity, with the 2025 Euros becoming the final nail in the coffin.

What if it was just Jenni Hermoso?, one might ask. Except it wasn’t. One of Tome’s weaknesses had been, during the tournament, that she cannot read games well. She often substituted players at strange times, as Alexia Putellas was given less playing time than she arguably deserved. Regularly benching dressing room heavyweights has a price, as she recently learned. The prize on the line was the a first European title in their history, as Spain ended up losing on penalties against England in the final, albeit creating more than enough chances to win in regular time. Though that is a Spanish custom independent of gender, the RFEF had had enough, Tome had to go.

Similarly to Luis de La Fuente’s appointment of the men’s senior side, the RFEF looked to hire from within, settling on Sonia Bermudez, known for her stint as a central midfielder for Atletico Madrid, and her time with the national team. She has previously coached the U-19 side with a worrying record, leading to criticism from the media and players. This would be similar to de La Fuente’s appointment, in the faith that she can lead the seniors like she led the youth.

At first sight, everything seems to check out – if Bermudez brings similar success to de la Fuente, the decision will be lauded. Except the ground was being laid for everything to fall apart even before it was announced that Tome’s contract would not be extended. As soon as the rumours of Bermudez taking over the team appeared, Cadena SER had a report ready claiming that the dressing room is opposed to Sonia’s appointment, believed to “surprise” the players. The apprehension at her appointment is justified: Bermudez struggled, you guessed it, with timely substitutions. It feels a little like the RFEF are tempting fate.

In many ways, the players are right. They have earned the right to request professionalism, which the RFEF has failed to provide for the past five years. It took months to sack Vilda, protected by his ties to Rubiales and his World Cup title. It took two years to end with Tome, with reports from El Pais confirming that RFEF already took the decision prior to the Euro 2025. Just like any other workplace, employees have the right to request competency in the highest post of the industry.

Above all, Tome’s stint will be remembered, for all the wrong reasons. While criticised for ostracising players who been critical of her personally, Tome claimed to be an “intense” coach, implying that Hermoso did not fit the squad as a result – a rather ridiculous reason to exile a player who had been a vital part of Spain’s World Cup winning squad. In many ways, this was the sign for the RFEF to look to further horizons for Tome’s replacements.

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Meanwhile RFEF president, Rafael Louzan, has not shown any interest for the women’s side. When asked about the lack of human treatment towards women in the Spanish Super Cup, hosted in Saudi Arabia, Louzan apologised but continues to host it under the same conditions. Yet he claims that women’s football in Spain needs “strategic planning”, which it appears he is yet to get round to.

By the looks of it, the RFEF, whether during Rubiales’ tenure or under Louzan, continues to disregard women’s football. The continuity path continues to be privileged, from Vilda, to Tome, to Bermudez. Spain is no minnow, but a champion and a finalist. Two competitions have arguably been lost due to Tome’s incompetence, after defeats in the Olympics (2024) and the Euro 2025. Both avoided a Spanish victory thanks to her inability to interpret game momentum, which should be an essential skill.

Tome was not the issue, but a byproduct of years of mismanagement. By hiring Bermudez, the RFEF has once more ignored the demands of the players, who deserve to be heard, and in a sporting sense, deserve a coach on their level. The situation has reached heights that would be comical by now, if it weren’t so familiar. Based on the string of appointments over the last two years, it seems as if record of incompetence is the primary qualification for the post at the Spanish national team.