Gotham’s Juan Carlos Amorós laments Spain’s soccer scandals, but stops short of calling for firings

Update: On Aug. 25, Gotham FC issued a statement criticizing Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales, and Juan Carlos Amorós endorsed it with a personal statement on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Mr. Rubiales has tainted and overshadowed the Spanish women national team’s moment by his unacceptable conduct,” Gotham’s statement said. “We condemn him and the inaction of those in power who fail to hold him accountable. We join the global soccer community in using our voice to help end abuse in the women’s game.”

Amoros said: “We stand together with you @JenniHermoso,” adding the #ContigoJenni hashtag that has trended around the world.

Gotham FC manager Juan Carlos Amorós has flown the flag for Spaniards in the National Women’s Soccer League for a little while now, having led the Houston Dash for the second half of last year after previous stints at Spain’s Real Betis and England’s Tottenham Hotspur.

This summer, Amorós has raised that flag higher by bringing two Spanish national team players, midfielder Maitane López and World Cup-winning forward Esther González, to northern New Jersey.

So when he took the stage for his first news conference after Spain’s title triumph, it was the moment to ask his views of the scandal that accompanied the big win. Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales kissed star player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation, and manager Jorge Vilda — already under fire after months of player protests — was seen touching a female assistant coach on the chest during postgame celebrations.

Making matters worse, the Spanish soccer federation issued a statement which claimed to be Hermoso saying the kiss wasn’t a big deal, but media reports soon showed the statement was made-up.

Both incidents have drawn worldwide condemnation, from fans to players to the Spanish players’ union to the global players’ union FIFPRO. There have been many calls in Spain for Rubiales to resign, and some major criticism from Spanish government officials.

» READ MORE: Spain’s brilliant rise to the World Cup final is clouded by players protesting the manager

Amorós expressed sadness over the situation, but did not call for Rubiales or Vilda to be dismissed from their jobs.

“I think that when we should speak about Spain and this problem, we should speak about the fantastic football they’ve played,” he said. “There must be better actions, but it’s not for me to be the one here saying what it means.”

He praised the players who “through years, they worked so hard to get to this point” amid many institutional obstacles.

“A lot of coaches, grassroots teams, people with no resources, and pushing, trying to change the mentality of the fans, the clubs, professional clubs,” Amorós said. “And now the fact that we have to talk about a such an unfortunate incident is heartbreaking. So I just hope that we can focus on on the football, and appreciate the work that a lot of people have done in a long period of time, and that’s it.”

» READ MORE: Spain wins the women’s World Cup and arrives as a women’s soccer superpower

Amorós revealed that negotiations with González began months ago, once the team knew she’d be out of contract at Real Madrid this summer. No one could have known back then that Spain would win the World Cup right before the deal became official, but that certainly helped bring some extra shine to the news.

“To sign this this level of player — top goal scorer for Real Madrid, fantastic goal scorer, proven in the Spanish league with a few teams, one of the captains of the Spanish national team ... I think for us, it’s a sign of who we want to be,” Amorós said.

González is indeed the top all-time scorer for Real’s women’s team, with 39 goals in 77 games. Sadly, though, that’s not such a grand feat, because the legendary Spanish club has only had a women’s team since 2020.

Before then, she played for Atlético Madrid, a top Spanish side for many years, and other clubs. She has 27 goals in 38 games for Spain’s national team, including one in this year’s World Cup against Costa Rica. González has worn the vaunted No. 9 jersey for La Roja for a while, including at the World Cup and last year’s European Championship.

» READ MORE: Sinead Farrelly looks back at playing in the World Cup as she returns to Gotham FC

“We were signing Esther whether a world champion or not — it just just happened that she is, and she has played a key part of that,” Amorós said. “She’s a non-stop pressing forward, she’s really good playing back to goal, she reads really well the space, she moves extremely well in the box and see has an amazing quality to finish both right foot [and] left foot, and also she’s an aerial threat. So she’s a very complete player that I think can fit really well in our style, and I’m really looking forward to see how she does with her teammates here. And I think for the league, it’s fantastic.”

“As I continue my journey in football, I look forward to my next challenge in a competitive league where I will face the best players in the world in every game,” González said in a statement from the team.

She also said on social media: “It has always been a dream of mine to play in the United States and now I can finally say that this is where this new chapter begins for me. I am very happy to be here, to have signed for Gotham FC, Now is the time to work hard and give everything for this team.”