Spain’s football federation (RFEF) is preparing to sack Jorge Vilda, who faced down a player mutiny to steer his team to World Cup glory after he refused to resign in a scandal shaking the sport, an RFEF source has told Reuters. The 42-year-old cut a sometimes isolated figure in Australia as his squad largely celebrated without him, and he has now become embroiled in a backlash against the RFEF president, Luis Rubiales, who kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the presentation after the final. Now, a new RFEF board, constituted after Fifa, the sport’s world governing body, suspended Rubiales, has agreed to work on terminating Vilda’s contract, the source said. The board is also negotiating with female players who have gone on strike over the Rubiales case for their return. Rubiales, while defiant, has little support after regional RFEF chiefs turned on him and urged him to step down. Vilda, who has backed Rubiales, is a controversial figure himself in women’s football. His tenure as coach of the women’s team since 2015 was first publicly called into question last year when 15 players sent letters to the RFEF saying they would no longer play for Spain while he remained in charge. The RFEF made some adjustments to working conditions after their complaints but backed Vilda, and the squad proceeded into the World Cup without most of the boycotting players. The board is now working on the legalities of Vilda’s termination and determining a severance package equal to his €160,000 (£137,000) annual salary, the source said. The RFEF, which speaks for Vilda while he remains its women’s team coach, did not respond to a request for comment. During the World Cup, he said the team’s success would not have been possible without the federation’s backing for him. On Thursday, Vilda was overlooked by Uefa for the women’s coach of the year award, which was instead awarded to Sarina Wiegman. The England coach then dedicated her award to the Spain team at the men’s Champions League draw ceremony, saying: “This team deserves to be celebrated and listened to.” In an address to federation members on Friday, Rubiales refused to resign over the kiss furore, saying it had been whipped up by “false feminists”. He praised Vilda for presiding over the World Cup win, offering him a fresh four-year contract with an annual salary of €500,000. Vilda was among those who most enthusiastically applauded Rubiales’ refusal to resign although later he issued a statement saying: “I regret deeply that the victory of Spanish women’s football has been harmed by the inappropriate behaviour that our until now top leader, Luis Rubiales, has carried out and that he himself has recognised.” At the weekend, Spain’s leading female players said that after the medal ceremony in Sydney, when Rubiales planted a kiss on the lips of Hermoso that she said was nonconsensual, they would not return to play for the national team under the existing leadership. The RFEF source said players were being consulted as to whether the removal of Vilda would change their minds. The federation has also sought the return of Rafael del Amo, the president of the national committee for women’s football, who resigned in protest at Rubiales’ refusal to quit. Del Amo has been nominated to speak to players on the pledge that the RFEF will renew the team’s staff.