The mass resignations came following an extraordinary Board meeting held by the KSÍ, four weeks earlier than scheduled.

Icelandic football has been left in chaos by the scandal prior to the beginning of the men's team's latest set of World Cup qualifiers today.

It came to light after KSÍ President Guðni Bergsson said the organisation's leaders were not aware of any allegations of sexual assault made against any players on the national team.

Thorhildur Gyda Arnarsdottir then made revelations in a television interview which proved this to be untrue.

The 25-year-old said that she and another woman were assaulted by a player on the national team while at a Reykjavik bar in September of 2017.

Both women were injured and filed complaints with police the following day.

Arnarsdottir said that the alleged perpetrator admitted his actions, apologised, and paid compensation but only after an attempt by KSÍ to force her to sign a non-disclosure agreement - and after Bergsson had spoken to he victim's family.

"A lawyer from the football association asked if I was ready to sign a non-disclosure agreement and also to receive compensation," Arnarsdottir said, per Deutsche Welle. 

"And, naturally, I said no."

Arnardsottir called for the entire KSÍ Board to resign and acknowledge they had approved hiring players with creditable abuse allegations made against them.

The Board agreed to do so and released a statement saying, "we as a community all need to do better to support victims and fight sexual violence".

According to a University of Iceland study in 2018, one in four Icelandic women has been raped or sexually assaulted.

"I think it's very clear we need a big internal tidy-up," said Klara Bjartmarz, the KSÍ chief executive.

"We need to listen.

"We need to learn.

"We failed the victims."