RUSSIAN ROULETTE
WORLD CUP: SPAIN TAKE GAMBLE BY SACKING COACH
Embattled hosts feel the heat before opener.
While hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia yesterday made their last-minute preparations for the long-awaited World Cup opener at Luzhniki Stadium today, Spain hogged the headlines as the 2010 champions sensationally sacked Julen Lopetegui as head coach two days before they kick off their campaign.
Fernando Hierro, a national backroom staff member under Lopetegui, was handed the Spanish reins ahead of their much-anticipated Iberian derby against Portugal in Sochi tomorrow. The 50-year-old Hierro’s only real coaching experience came when he was in charge of second division Spanish outfit Oviedo for one season.
Lopetegui’s downfall was ignited by a surprise announcement on Tuesday that Real Madrid had appointed the Spaniard as Zinedine Zidane’s successor to take over after the tournament in Russia, sparking outrage at the federation and among Spanish fans at the timing of the announcement, despite the fact that he is unbeaten in 20 matches as national coach.
At a severely delayed press conference at Spain’s base in Krasnodar yesterday, Spanish football federation (RFEF) chief Luis Rubiales expressed dismay at the timing of events that threaten to derail Spain’s World Cup chances.
“The national team is the team for all Spaniards and there are some decisions we feel obliged to take to protect some values,” said Rubiales. “Negotiating is legitimate but it took place without the RFEF being informed until five minutes before a press statement was released. There has to be a message for all workers in the federation that there is a right way to do things.”
Hierro was a goalscoring midfielder who made 601 appearances for Real Madrid, captaining club as well as country.
He is understood to have a good relationship with the squad and as an 89-cap veteran of the national team nobody can suggest he does not know how tournament football works.
Meanwhile, Russian coach Stanislav Cherchesov has told his team to ignore media criticism ahead of their match Saudi Arabia and focus on winning.
The host nation enter their first home World Cup in the worst possible form. They are winless in seven matches and slumped to 70th in the world, the lowest of the 32 teams in the tournament. The Saudi Arabians, at No 67, are the second-lowest team in Russia.
Newspaper headlines are asking not whether Russia stand a chance of lifting the trophy, but if things can possibly get any worse.
“We have to take all the criticism and turn it into something positive,” Cherchesov said.