Spanish FA confirm Luis Enrique departure
The Spanish FA (RFEF) have announced that the Asturian coach will leave the position with current U-21 manager Luis de la Fuente set to be Luis Enrique’s successor.
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Luis Enrique and the Spanish FA have parted company after La Roja’s disappointing showing at the 2022 World Cup. A solid 7-0 win over Costa Rica was as good as it got for Spain in Qatar as they followed up the opener with a 1-1 draw over Germany and lost 2-1 to Japan to finish second in their group.
A subsequent 0-0 and penalty shoot-out against Morocco saw Spain dumped out in the Round of 16 but was the manner of the defeat that irked many. ‘La Roja’ completed over 1,000 passes during the game but seemed void of an attacking ‘plan B’ against a solid and defensive Morocco team.
Luis de la Fuente to succeed Luis Enrique
The search for a successor was a short lived process as minutes after confirming Luis Enrque’s exit, the RFEF confirmed that current U-21 manager Luis de la Fuente would be installed as new Spain national team coach.
The man from La Rioja was considered as a solid bet by both Spanish FA President Luis Rubiales and Sporting Director José Francisco Molina and topped a list of candidates that included the likes of Marcelino García Toral and Roberto Martinez who were linked by many to the position.
De la Fuente’s initial focus is to secure a berth for Spain at the 2024 European Championships ahead of the 2023 UEFA Nations League final four in the Netherlands.
