Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

Spain sack Real-bound coach Lopetegui, Hierro in charge

- Bhargab Sarmah bhargab.sarmah@htlive.com

MOSCOW: Luis Rubiales looked irritated as he addressed a news conference at Spain’s training base in Krasnodar, over 1,300 km from here, on Wednesday. Just weeks after taking over as the president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), Rubiales was announcing the sacking of national team coach Julen Lopetegui.

The decision, made one day before the World Cup begins, sent shockwaves through the football world. The 1998 World Cup had seen three managerial casualties in the form of Henryk Kasperczak, Carlos Alberto Parreira and Cha Bum-kun, then coaches of Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, respective­ly.

But the trio faced the sack after it was confirmed their teams would go no further in the competitio­n.

Former Real Madrid defender Fernando Hierro, Spain’s sporting director since last November, has been named Lopetegui’s replacemen­t.

However, it remains to be seen how much damage Lopetegui’s shocking departure, just a couple of days ahead of their high-voltage clash against European champions Portugal in Sochi, has done to the 2010 world champions.

Lopetegui’s unceremoni­ous exit resulted from the announceme­nt of his appointmen­t as the next Real Madrid manager on Tuesday.

Rubiales said there was no option other than to sack Lopetegui as he had kept RFEF in the dark while negotiatin­g with Real.

The federation chief said he had been informed of Lopetegui’s appointmen­t as Zinedine Zidane’s replacemen­t just five minutes prior to the announceme­nt. A request to delay the announceme­nt was turned down by Real, he said.

“There are decisions that we are obliged to take based on an understand­ing of how you should behave and on ethics,” Rubiales said.

“Julen has worked phenomenal­ly well; I have nothing at all to complain about there. But the way that this has happened obliged me to take this decision.”

Spanish media outlets reported on Wednesday morning that Spain skipper Sergio Ramos led a contingent of senior players to meet Rubiales.

Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Pepe Reina, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets are reported to have accompanie­d Ramos to the emergency meeting in a lastditch attempt at convincing the federation to keep Lopetegui in his position.

It didn’t work.

When Diego Maradona was sent home after testing positive for a banned drug during the 1994 World Cup, Argentina never recovered.

Nicolas Anelka’s forced departure from South Africa contribute­d to France being called ‘Les Miserables’.

In 2002, upset at the training facilities, Roy Keane got into a spat with Ireland manager Mick McCarthy and had to leave.

 ?? AP ?? Day after Real announced Lopetegui as coach, Spain fired him.
AP Day after Real announced Lopetegui as coach, Spain fired him.

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