England manager Sarina Wiegman dedicated her Uefa Women’s Coach of the Year award to World Cup winners Spain, as Fifa president Gianni Infantino said their success had been “spoiled”.
Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales has been widely criticised for kissing forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the final.
Wiegman said the victorious Spain players “deserve to be listened to”.
And Infantino wrote on social media: “This should never have happened.”
Hermoso said the kiss during the presentation ceremony after the World Cup final win over England in Sydney on 20 August was not consensual.
Rubiales was suspended by world football’s governing body Fifa on Saturday but has repeatedly refused to resign.
Wiegman led the audience at Thursday’s ceremony in a round of applause for Spain, stating they “deserve to be celebrated”.
“We all know the issues around the Spanish team,” she said.
“It really hurts me as a coach, a mother of two daughters, as a wife and human being. And it shows, the game has grown so much, but there is a long way to go in women’s football and society.
“I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team, the team that played such great football that everyone enjoyed.”