Spain did not wait long before jettisoning Luis Enrique Martinez following their World Cup exit. The day after La Roja landed back in Madrid, Luis Enrique’s time as Spain manager ended and under-21 manager Luis de la Fuente was promoted in his place.
According to Cadena SER, Luis Enrique wanted to continue on in his position. He had maintained that he would make a decision with the RFEF after the World Cup, but in the end he had no input.
Following their elimination, President Luis Rubiales and Sporting Director Jose Francisco Molina had promised to meet with Luis Enrique to discuss his future, but no such meeting occurred. The RFEF let Luis Enrique know about their decision and then offered to put out a joint statement, something that the Asturian manager rejected. Luis Enrique had expected to receive a renewal offer.
The suggestion from many has been that Rubiales was swayed by the media calls for Luis Enrique’s head. Whether there is any truth in that or not, the decision has been made with significant haste and little consideration on their part. Whether the decision is a correct one or not, only time will tell. Should things go wrong under de la Fuente, the finger of blame will swing quickly towards Rubiales.
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