Luis Enrique will be able to devote himself to his career on Twitch. This is the little joke that has been going around since the announcement this Thursday noon of the dismissal of the Spanish coach, assumed streamer, by his Federation. He pays, obviously, the elimination of his team in the round of 16 of the World Cup against Morocco on penalties (0-0 ap, 3-0 pens).
Appointed at the head of Spain in July 2018, he had taken a break between March and November 2019 to mourn his daughter, then had hoisted Spain in 2021 to the semi-finals of the Euro and the final of the Nations League, ending up being criticized for his sterile possession style of play.
The name of his replacement was announced immediately. On pole, Luis De La Fuente, current coach of the Spanish under-21 selection and the Spanish Olympic selection, succeeds him.
“The sports management of the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) has sent the president a report which shows the need to start a new project for the selection, with the objective of continuing the progress observed in recent years thanks to the work carried out by Luis Enrique and his collaborators,” the RFEF said in a statement. “President Luis Rubiales and sporting director José Francisco Molina transmitted to the technician (Luis Enrique) the decision adopted”, she specified. With his “defined style”, Luis Enrique “bet on young talents and sowed hope for the future of the selection”, added the Spanish federation.
“If there is someone responsible, it’s me,” assumed the technician on Tuesday in the corridors of the Education City Stadium, after the defeat against Morocco, assuring that he would “discuss the future” with the president. of the Luis Rubiales federation “at the appropriate time”. On Wednesday, on arrival at Madrid airport, Luis Enrique hugged the members of the coaching staff individually and bade them a moving farewell. He must have already known what awaited him.