Spain announced the departure of Luis Enrique arsenic manager of the nationalist squad connected Thursday pursuing the team's shock punishment shootout defeat connected Tuesday to Morocco successful the circular of 16 astatine the World Cup successful Qatar, and his replacement was named.
The erstwhile Barcelona manager, whose declaration with Spain was acceptable to extremity this month, took afloat responsibility for his team's earlier than expected exit from the tournament.
The Spanish FA announced that Luis Enrique would beryllium replaced by Spain under-21 manager Luis de la Fuente. De la Fuente guided Spain's under-19 broadside to a European Championship rubric successful 2015 and led the under-21s to the aforesaid honour successful 2019, portion helium was successful complaint of the squad who won a metallic medal astatine past year's Tokyo Olympics.
A statement from the Spanish FA said: "The RFEF would similar to convey Luis Enrique and his full coaching unit astatine the helm of the implicit nationalist squad successful caller years.
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"The sports absorption of the RFEF has transferred to the president a study successful which it is determined that a caller task should commencement for the Spanish Soccer Team, with the purpose of continuing with the maturation achieved successful caller years acknowledgment to the enactment carried retired by Luis Enrique and their collaborators. Both the president, Luis Rubiales, and the sports director, José Francisco Molina, person transmitted the determination to the coach.
"The RFEF has chosen Luis de la Fuente arsenic the caller nationalist coach. The sporting director, Jose Francisco Molina, has transferred a study to the president, Luis Rubiales, successful which helium recommends the manager to pb the caller section that begins aft the World Cup successful Qatar.
"The RFEF committee of directors indispensable o.k. the assignment adjacent Monday."
De la Fuente volition beryllium introduced connected Monday, astatine 12:30 section time.
The announcement of Luis Enrique's departure comes arsenic nary surprise. Luis Enrique had said successful the aftermath of Tuesday's nonaccomplishment to Morocco aft a goalless gully that helium would sermon his aboriginal with Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales adjacent week. However, unit mounted connected Luis Enrique with fans and national media calling for his resignation aft what they described arsenic a "fiasco."
Spain players wanted Luis Enrique to continue arsenic manager and had spoken out successful his favour.
The 52-year-old guided Spain to the semifinals of Euro 2020 and the last of the Nations League successful 2021, and precocious steered La Roja to the last 4 of the 2023 Nations League.
The Spanish FA had offered him a declaration hold earlier the World Cup but Luis Enrique postponed that determination until aft the tournament.
Rubiales praised Luis Enrique's committedness to the nationalist squad up of the crippled against Morocco, saying: "Luis Enrique is simply a top-level manager, who agreed to instrumentality implicit connected a financially anemic connection and turned down charismatic offers from English clubs. We volition talk with him aft the World Cup to measure the enactment that is being done and helium volition person implicit state if helium wants to leave. I'm truly grateful to him. He renewed the humor of the National Team with players nether 20 years of property and reunited everyone astir the Spain team."
Spain had the third-youngest squad astatine the World Cup, with Gavi, 18, and Pedri, who turned 20 during the tournament, arsenic starters portion they had Alejandro Balde, 19, and 20-year-old strikers Ansu Fati and Nico Williams coming disconnected the bench.
Spain could not person asked for a amended commencement to the tourney than a 7-0 demolition of Costa Rica, the country's biggest ever World Cup win. Alarm bells began ringing erstwhile Germany scored a precocious equaliser successful a 1-1 gully and concerns deepened aft Japan came from down to bushed Spain 2-1 successful their last Group E game.
Spain had astir of the possession against Morocco but failed to people successful 120 minutes and past missed each 3 penalties they took successful the shootout to clang retired of the competition. The Spanish FA person not announced who volition regenerate Luis Enrique.
However, Spain's under-21 manager Luis de La Fuente is reported to beryllium the preferred campaigner to win him. De la Fuente, 61, has been astatine the helm of the U21 broadside since 2018 and led them to the European Championship rubric successful 2019 and metallic astatine the Olympics successful Tokyo.
The Spanish FA added successful their statement: "The RFEF energetically wishes Luis Enrique and his squad the champion of luck successful their aboriginal nonrecreational projects. The manager earns the emotion and admiration of his collaborators successful the nationalist squad and of the full federation, which volition ever beryllium his home."
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