Senior Spanish football officials to leave or be fired after uproar over World Cup kiss: Report

MADRID: Between six and nine senior officials of Spain's football federation (RFEF) will be invited to leave their jobs or will be sacked as part of a deal to end a threatened player boycott of the national team, a federation source told Reuters.

The move comes after mutinous players said in a statement last week that they would refuse to play for the national team while people who "incited, hid or applauded attitudes that go against women's dignity" remained part of the federation.

It was not immediately clear when the personnel changes would take effect. Reuters has been unable reach the representatives of those on the list for comment.

Pablo Garcia, a spokesman for the RFEF, did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.

Spanish soccer has been in turmoil since Luis Rubiales, then the RFEF chief, kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the World Cup presentation ceremony on Aug 20.

His actions outraged players, government officials and many in wider Spanish society and raised questions over sexism in sport. Rubiales, who resigned on Sep 10, appeared before a judge on Monday to face a complaint of sexual assault over the kiss.

The list of RFEF departures was drawn up during a marathon meeting between the players, their FUTPRO union, members of the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD), and the RFEF's head of women's' football Rafael Del Amo, which ended early on Wednesday.

Some of the names were put forward by the players themselves, the source added.

The meeting was held in a hotel outside Valencia, in southeastern Spain, where the team's training camp had been moved to shield the players from media scrutiny in the build up to a game Spain is scheduled to play in Sweden on Friday.

The players had