New Delhi: After a terrible run in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, Spain announced the resignation of Luis Enrique as a coach on Thursday. They lost to Morocco in a penalty shootout round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar.
The former Barcelona manager took the onus on his shoulders after his team's early exit from the tournament. The Spanish Football Association confirmed that Luis de la Fuente will be replacing Luis Enrique. Luis de la Fuente is managing Spain's under-21 team now. Under his coaching, Spain’s under-19 team won the European Championship title in 2015 and the under- 21s to the same title in 2019.
"The RFEF would like to thank Luis Enrique and his entire coaching staff at the helm of the absolute national team in recent years. The RFEF has chosen Luis de la Fuente as the new national coach. The sporting director, Jose Francisco Molina, has transferred a report to the president, Luis Rubiales, in which he recommends the coach to lead the new chapter that begins after the World Cup in Qatar. The RFEF board of directors must approve the appointment next Monday," said a statement from the Spanish Football Association as quoted by ESPN.
Spain's players wanted Luis Enrique to continue as the head coach and they also spoke in his support. Under Luis Enrique, Spain went to the Euro 2020 semifinals and the Nations League championship in 2021.
The Spanish team kickstarted their World Cup campaign with a 7-0 win over Costa Rica. They then played an equalizer 1-1 against Germany. Spain suffered a defeat against Japan 2-1 in their last Group E encounter.