Column: The RFEF has torn itself apart, and for what?

10 days on from winning the Women's World Cup, the RFEF has found itself in chaos, refusing to do anything but stand by its President. Sadly, it's u-turn is too late...

RFEF President Luis Rubiales is under fire for kissing Jenni Hermoso during Spain’s World Cup celebrations.

10 days on since the greatest achievement for women's football in Spain, and the nation has been allowed to do anything but celebrate.

What should have been one of its greatest days - and subsequent weeks - in the turbulent history of the women's game in Spain has been sullied by people in power desperate to cling on to their own reputations, job roles and attractive pay packet, all in defence of one person - RFEF President Luis Rubiales.

When Olga Carmona scored the winner against England last Sunday, there was already mixed emotions for many, in the knowledge head coach Jorge Vilda remained unpopular among the squad, with key players sat at home, giving up the chance of glory and putting the greater good over gold.

'Las 15' suddenly seems like a distant memory, such has been the chaos of the past week and a half which has seen Rubiales go under the microscope for kissing Jenni Hermoso in the post-final presentation, and subsequent calls for him to resign.

It looked like he would finally bow to public pressure after five days, with his replacement lined up and his speech at the ready, only for Rubiales to suddenly play the victim card and go back on his resignation speech, and he still today remains officially in post, but his position has become more and more untenable by the hour.

The situation has gone from crazy, to ridiculous, to downright ludicrous and now even dangerous. Rubiales's mother, Ángeles Béjar, has gone on hunger strike after locking herself in a church in Montril, and there are now fears for her health as she has stated she is “willing to die”, while her son has gone on the offensive to try and find any sort of still image or video clip which shows Hermoso as the aggressor, despite clearly being anything but.

The truth has been twisted to such an extent lies have becomes facts in the eyes of those who support him. Béjar, and others who support him, have called on Hermoso to go back to her original statement which suggested this was simply no big deal, a statement fabricated by the RFEF without the consent of Hermoso.

After doing everything they could to support him, the federation has now gone back on themselves, realising they are losing a battle they could never win in the first place, and its territorial presidents have called for Rubiales to resign.

But never forget, this federation was willing to tear itself apart to defend one man, with the only assumption many know they are only in such a privileged position because he put them there.

Their u-turn now does not mean that is forgotten.

This is the federation who kept Ignacio Querada in a job for 27 years, despite concerns of their players, who stuck by Vilda, who released a false statement from one of their star players, threatened legal action against the FUTPro Union and even went as far to call on UEFA to expel them because of perceived government intervention, meaning all Spainish clubs would have been removed from UEFA competitions.

All to keep Rubiales in post.

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They have now realised they cannot save this situation. So have Vilda and men's team head coach Luis de la Fuente, both of whom sat front and centre of Rubiales' supposed resignation speech, clapping - and in Vilda’s case smirking - along, clearly fully in support of the boss who put them in their roles, and who Vilda voted for as President in 2018. No wonder he’s keen for him to stay.

They too have now spoken out publicly against his behaviour, and again, it is too late. If a federation has ever read a situation as badly as this one, I can't remember it. Nobody, absolutely nobody, who is complicit in this situation should remain in a job, and if they do women's football in Spain will never move on, nor will their players.

Maybe, just maybe, this will inadvertently be the reckoning Spain needed to do just that, to free themselves of those who have held them back.

Many had mixed emotions Spain won the World Cup, but 10 days on I'm delighted they did, because this has shone the biggest light yet on what these human beings have had to endure, and success in spite of that is truly remarkable.

Because despite claiming he has been "socially murdered", Rubiales, who is also UEFA Vice-President, has form, as so often those in the wrong do.

Tamara Ramos, former marketing manager of the AFE [Association of Spanish Footballers], which Rubiales was President of before joining the RFEF in 2018, has accused him of sexual assault.

Last year alone he was accused of recording private conversations with senior government officials and accused of using RFEF funds to pay rent on his Madrid home. He has denied both.

Even his own uncle, Juan Rubiales, openly stated he would host private parties with up to a dozen girls present. But given his RFEF predecesor, Ángel Villar, left his role in 2018 following charges of corruption, falsifying documents, embezzlement and collusion, are we really surprised this is what the RFEF has become and remains?

What should have been about celebration, parades and success has become anything but, and this group of players once again find themselves fighting against the regime. Their flight home reportedly saw them being pressured into supporting their federation, rather than enjoying celebrating their historic success.

Five days later, their team essentially no longer existed. 81 players signed a letter against Rubiales, and players, clubs and national teams far and beyond have stood up in their support, except those closest to home.

Only Vilda remains, quite literally the last man standing, with 11 coaching staff members resigning, including his assistants Montse Tomé Vázquez and Javier Lerga Garayoa, as well as Spain legend and recent under 19 and under 20 head coach Sonia Bermúdez.

If you had any remaining doubts about Vilda, it speaks volumes he has not stepped away while everyone else has, remaining alone without a staff member or player.

It's now reported he is likely to be moved on as part of a reshuffle, and it cannot come soon enough. Vilda will always go down as a World Cup winner, and Rubiales will go down as the man who facilitated it, but leopards don't change their spots, and no cold apology can fix that.

Real Mallorca boss, Javier Aguirre, put it best, stating "they are forgotten about", when speaking about Spain’s achievement, and that is the tragedy of this situation.

Such has been the desperation to cling to power, the RFEF has overshadowed the greatest achievement of their talented women's footballers.

And make no mistake, this will forever remain their greatest achievement. Spain may win more World Cups, but they will never have to win one enduring what this team has both pre and post-tournament. They have achieved world domination in spite of these poeple, not because of them.

Major Spanish newspaper MARCA brandished the headline "Global Embarrassment" across the front page of its paper, but arguably it is beyond that now.

When Rubiales goes, he will almost certainly not go quietly, and this is in doubt part of the reason why so many in positions below him are desperate for him not to.

But their u-turns now show an acceptance he will, and they are trying to save both face and their jobs, whether it be De La Fuente, Vilda or anyone else.

What happens next remains to be seen. How much damage has been done? Even with structural change, will these players want to come back to an environment which has caused them so much distress?

They are world champions, they have nothing better to achieve than that. They have nothing to prove.

Because who would want to come back and play under the name of a federation who didn't once stand by them? The RFEF has torn apart its world champion squad in the blink of an eye, and for what?