Spain Coach Jorge Vilda Fired Amid World Cup Kiss Backlash

Spanish football federation RFEF has fired women's national team coach Jorge Vilda. Vilda's departure was confirmed on Tuesday by the federation.

According to multiple sources, Vilda was officially sacked after meeting with acting RFEF president Pedro Rocha.

The RFEF statement said that Vilda's firing is part of "restructuring measures" announced by Rocha. It thanked Vilda for his role in growing women's football in Spain and for leading the team to the Women's World Cup title just weeks ago.

"The RFEF would like to express its gratitude to Jorge Vilda for the services he has provided, for his professionalism and dedication during all these years, wishing him the best of success in the future," the statement said.

Vilda's firing on Tuesday comes in the midst of backlash against suspended RFEF president Luis Rubiales, who kissed player Jenni Hermoso during the trophy presentation of the Women's World Cup on August 20.

While much of the spotlight has since been on the embattled Rubiales, Vilda has a complicated legacy of his own. Last fall, 15 national team players sent an email to RFEF calling for changes and voicing concern with Vilda's management style, citing its impact on "their emotional state and their health."

Rubiales and the federation sided with Vilda. Of the 15 players to speak out, only three ultimately returned to the national team for this summer's Women's World Cup.

Vilda was seen applauding Rubiales during his RFEF speech on August 25, during which Rubiales refused to step down and tried to blame Hermoso. Rubiales also claimed from the podium that he would be offering Vilda a four-year contract worth €500,000 a year.

The following day, all members of Spain's staff resigned except for Vilda. Vilda released a statement later that day criticizing Rubiales' behavior, but he did not step down.

Vilda's dismissal has been in the works for a while: Spanish sports outlet Diario AS reported last week that the RFEF was working on finding legal ways to remove Vilda. Many sources reported over the weekend that Vilda's sacking was imminent.

Rocha currently appears to be doing damage control: He released a letter earlier on Tuesday, saying that the RFEF "apologizes to the world of football" and separated the federation from Rubiales' conduct.