Spain Chief Rubiales To Resign After Nonconsensual World Cup Kiss: Report

Luis Rubiales, the president of the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF), plans to resign on Friday, multiple outlets including MARCA and ESPN reported on Thursday.

Calls for Rubiales' resignation were ignited after he kissed Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation after Spain's 1-0 win over England in Sunday's Women's World Cup final.

Earlier on Thursday, FIFA announced that it had opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales, and that the kiss may have been a violation of article 13 of the organization's disciplinary code, which concerns "offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play."

“FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary,” the organization said.

Spanish players' union (FUTPRO), which is handling the case on Hermoso's behalf, condemned Rubiales' actions on Wednesday.

After initially calling those with concerns over the kiss "idiots," Rubiales apologized in a video statement on Monday, saying that "people have felt hurt" by the kiss but denying that it was done in bad faith. Rubiales, 46, was also seen grabbing his crotch during the match and gave a post-game speech to the Spanish team during which he said he would marry Hermoso in Ibiza.

Revelo, a Madrid-based outlet, reported on Tuesday that Rubiales had pleaded with Hermoso for her to appear in the video, but the 33-year-old declined. After the kiss, Hermoso said during an Instagram livestream of the team's post-match celebration “Eh, but I didn’t like that, eh,” also saying, “But what was I supposed to do? Look at me. Look.”

Rubiales' resignation comes after a tumultuous 10 months for the RFEF. Last October, a group of 15 players signed a letter to the federation, demanding changes to combat poor training quality and tactical preparation, and a lack of privacy.

Led by Rubiales, RFEF sided with embattled head coach Jorge Vilda. Only three of the 15 players who sent the letter — defender Ona Batlle, forward Mariona Caldentey and midfielder Aitana Bonmatí — made Spain's final roster for the Women's World Cup.