Spanish Royal Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales (center) and Spain's coach Jorge Vilda (right) look on as Spain's acting Prime Minister meets Spain women's national football team's players after their 2023 World Cup victory at La Moncloa Palace in Madrid on August 22, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

The Spanish soccer federation chief's public apology for his unsolicited kiss of national player Jenni Hermoso during celebrations of Spain's victory in the Women's World Cup was "not enough", Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

Videos of Luis Rubiales during the game showed him making obscene gestures and celebrating in an outrageous manner among the assorted dignitaries in the Directors' Box in the stadium.

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He then provoked a storm of criticism and calls to resign when he planted an uninvited kiss on the lips of veteran midfielder Jenni Hermoso in the award ceremony after Spain's 1-0 win against England.

As criticism mounted, Rubiales issued a video apology late on Monday, after initially calling critics "idiots". "Surely I was wrong, I have to admit," Rubiales said in the video statement sent by the federation

The incident sparked outrage within and outside Spain, with many, including ministers, demanding Rubiales' resignation.

Although Rubiales later posted a video to apologize for the kiss, that has done nothing to stem the criticism and Sanchez didn't hold back on his opinion of the events.

"We've seen his apology and that's not enough, he must be much clearer and convincing in apologizing," Sanchez told a news conference. "He must take more steps to clarify a behavior that is unacceptable."

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Hermoso's first reaction to the kiss, planted on her lips as Rubiales cupped her face with his hands in post-game celebrations, was a comment to her teammates in the locker room. "Hey, I didn't like it," she said, according to video footage posted on Instagram and YouTube by several media outlets.

As criticism mounted, Rubiales issued a video apology late on Monday, after initially calling critics "idiots".

READ MORE: Spain defeat England in final of record-breaking Women's WCup

"Surely I was wrong, I have to admit," Rubiales said in the video statement sent by the federation. "It was without bad faith at a time of maximum effusiveness."

Rubiales accompanied the World Cup winning squad to visit Sanchez at his official residence at the Palacio de la Moncloa in Madrid on Tuesday morning, and the acting Prime Minister greeted him with what has been described as a "distant handshake."

Sanchez said the federation was not part of the Spanish government, which lacked the power to appoint or fire the federation's president. "The president of the RFEF is elected or sacked by its (regional) associations," he explained.

READ MORE: Sweden beats Australia for bronze medal at Women's WCup

Gender issues have become a hot topic in Spain over the past few years. The coalition government has presided over a raft of legal reforms, including around equal pay, abortion, sex work, and transgender rights.

However, a sentencing loophole in a sexual consent law allowed some rapists to be released from jail early, resulting in a hemorrhage of votes for the hard-left party Podemos - in charge of the Equality Ministry that drafted the law - in local elections in May.