As Jenni Hermoso and the rest of the 2023 Women’s World Cup-winning team rebel against the Spanish FA and now-suspended president, Luis Rubiales, England’s Ella Toone appeared on BBC Breakfast to share a message of unified support from the Lionesses.
There are no words to express how much love and pride we have for this lot.
Joining the coach on Tuesday 29 August, the England and Manchester United forward was asked to give her feelings on the ongoing saga as Spain’s football federation is now investigating Rubiales for kissing Hermoso without consent, as well as a variety of other controversies within the national team.
Not hesitating for a second to praise what she and the rest of her teammates have hailed as an incredible squad in the World Cup final earlier this month, Toone went on to say that the nonconsensual kiss was simply unacceptable.
Ella Toone gives her verdict on Hermoso, Rubiales and the ongoing scandal.
“It’s not the best”, said Toone, adding that “Spain were unbelievable throughout that tournament” and while the fact that they won their first Women’s World Cup “should be the main talking point… It’s been overshadowed by something that happened after the game that is unacceptable and the Lionesses all stand by Jenni Hermoso.”
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Last week, after reports that the women’s team are now refusing to play until Rubiales resigns and the majority of the coaching staff have now walked out, Sarina Wiegman and her side shared a message of solidarity, stating “We all stand with you, @jennihermoso and all players of the Spanish team.”
“Unacceptable actions allowed to happen by a sexist and patriarchal organisation,” they wrote. “Abuse is abuse and we have all seen the truth. The behaviour of those who think they are invincible must not be tolerated and people shouldn’t need convincing to take action against any form of harassment.
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Being asked to reflect on what motivated them to share the heartfelt message, the 23-year-old said the idea was posed by “some of the leaders in the squad” but assured it was one they “all believed in and wanted to put out as a team”, adding they now just “want the right thing to be done”.
The treatment of female Spanish players over the past year alone is by no means limited to what he has dismissed as a mere “peck”.
The systemic abuse isn’t new. It’s not only the one who commits the action but those who enable the violator & others to continue abuse. In words of @ChristenPress women shouldn’t have to win to finally be heard. #SeAcabópic.twitter.com/l9ugFIBJTh
With countless members of the squad having refused to play under equally controversial manager, Jorge Vilda, at points, and allegations of mistreatment at various levels throughout the national team, the narrative seems to be increasingly one of a systemic problem in women’s football in the country.
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With 15 players having previously signed an email that claimed they had been subjected to “situations that affect our emotional and personal state, our performance, and consequently the results of the national team” earlier, people have similarly been calling for Vilda to be sacked for some time.
Although the specifics of what the players alleged are not entirely known, footage of the 42-year-old coach touching a female member of his backroom staff’s breast whilst on the touchline at the World Cup has also been shared online.
The more evidence that continues to come light, the louder the cries for both of them to resign get, and people are now taking to the streets across Spain under one message: ‘Se acabó’ — i.e. ‘it’s over’ and there will be ‘no more’ instances of female professional footballers being abused.
Huge protests in central Madrid tonight showing support and solidarity with Jenni Hermoso, and demanding change. #SeAcabó. Enough is enough.https://t.co/sMLpa9bhBj
As Toone went on to say, “it’s a tough situation” for the Spanish national team and “it’s sad that we’re still talking about things like [Rubiales] misconduct” when both countries should be focusing on simply celebrating their teams’ achievements.
She concluded by saying that Spain’s FA president should “definitely” vacate his post, insisting that it’s “too far gone now for an apology… it’s much bigger than that now, so hopefully the right thing is done. He needs to move on”.
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Regarding Vilda, he is one of the few members of the coaching staff who has remained part of the team but there is growing pressure for him to follow his boss on the way out and to also face investigation.
Earlier this week, the BBC also came under fire whilst reporting on the entire scandal after they mistakenly used images of a Manchester City legend when referencing Luis Rubiales.
Two Manchester Basketball players have been named in the SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26
Danny Jones
A pair of Manchester Basketball players have been named in the latest SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26.
The most recent UK Super League Basketball (SLB) campaign is set to wrap up this month, with the playoffs taking place down in the capital, but there are other awards to be handed out before then.
It remains to be seen how ‘The Final Four’ phase will play out at The O2 in London on 17 May, but we can definitely take joy in moments like this.
Announced on Thursday, 7 May, Manchester Basketball confirmed that duo Max Jones and Jordan Johnson have joined the rest of the league’s roster of the best players this term.
As detailed on the club website, “Max has averaged 17.4 points in the SLB in 32 games – he’s been a starter for the franchise and was also named in the ENBL All-Star Five in Germany last month.
“Jordan averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 assists in 30 games in the SLB, had a stellar European campaign and hit 30 pts in just over 27 minutes in the SLB Cup Final.”
Commenting on social media, one fan wrote: “Both JJ and PJ have been so great at the PG spot all year. I feel this is a joint award for them both, but they can only fill one spot for the accolade. If we wanna be a serious club to build upon year on year, JJ also needs to be in an MCR jersey next year.
“We absolutely have the pieces to build around. JJ’s nerve is sooooo cool under pressure. You can just tell they wanna loft a meaningful trophy, and it’s gonna happen if we as a club plan and build the way we need to.”
Plenty of supporters have also stressed the importance of making sure that the board tie down the likes of Jones and other big talents this summer; the rest of the Molten All-League Team of the Season for 2025/26 can be found below.
It’s also worth noting that teammate Tim Adetukasi and women’s team star Irene Oboavwoduo have each been named in the SLB’s British Team of the Year in their respective divisions for 2026.
Writing in a club statement reflecting on a great week of recognition for the resurgent club, General Manager Dominique Allen said: “We are really proud to be a club flying the flag for British players.
Both Tim and Irene have made a real impact on and off the court. We’re really happy for both of them that they are getting some well-deserved recognition.”
Well done to all the MCR stars who are helping get the franchise back on its feet following such a major rebrand across the board.
Here’s looking forward to another promising and productive year for Manchester Basketball.
Manchester City win first Women’s Super League title in a decade
Danny Jones
After a decade of hope and hard work, Manchester City have finally won the Women’s Super League once again in a huge moment for the local club.
Lifting not just their first division title in 10 years, but only their second WSL trophy since the modern female football era began in 2010, it felt like only a matter of time to many supporters.
Ending a six-year Chelsea supremacy, this is also manager Andrée Jeglertz’s first at the helm of Man City’s women’s team, who arrived at the club with a strong silverware record at the start of this season.
These were the scenes at home base as one key result sealed their status as champions:
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) May 6, 2026
City Women secured the WSL title following third-placed Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton on Wednesday evening.
They even managed to do so with a game to spare and a six-point gap over the west London club, which has won so much over the past few years.
Speaking in an interview with club media after confirmation of the win, captain and Euro 2025-winning Lionesses defender, Alex Greenwood, said: “[It feels] absolutely incredible. “A moment – we as a team, me personally – us as a club has waited so long for”.
“An incredible moment, it’s an incredible feeling. I’m so glad we got to spend this moment together as a group. Just an absolutely incredible feeling.”
With fans watching both at home, along with the first team themselves, the celebrations have already begun as the team shared a look back at how they got here.
You can see the recap posted on social media in full below.
Commenting on his latest accolade, the Swedish head coach added in a full club statement: “There’s never been doubt about the talent in the group, but there is something else about talking about being winners and champions. We started that early, and we believed in that. That’s led us through this year.
“It hasn’t been easy; it’s been hard work every day, but we had a strong belief that we could be sitting here in May and be champions. That is the first thing, and we definitely deserve it.”
Congratulations to the Cityzens on a well-deserved and long-awaited WSL title; could this be the start of another sporting dynasty of dominance over in East Manchester? Only time will tell…
In other news around the Etihad Campus, the women’s, EDS and academy team stadium is also set to host the final of the FA Youth Cup later this month.
Danny Jones -
29th August 2023 
