Coach of Spain’s World Cup-winning women’s soccer team is fired weeks after victory celebration kiss

By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer

MADRID (AP) — The coach of Spain’s World Cup-winning women’s soccer team has been fired. The announcement Tuesday came less than three weeks after the victory celebration that led to the suspension of the country’s soccer federation president for kissing a player. The Spanish soccer federation offered no immediate explanation for the dismissal of coach Jorge Vilda. The federation says Vilda was key to the growth of women’s soccer and thanked him for leading the national team to the World Cup title and to No. 2 in the FIFA rankings. Vilda was among those who at first applauded federation president Luis Rubiales when he refused to quit.