Spain Fires Luis Enrique

After the 2010 World Cup champions were eliminated by Morocco at the last-16 stage earlier this week, Spain fired coach Luis Enrique on Thursday. The Spanish FA issued a statement saying that both the president, Luis Rubiales, and the sporting director, Jose Francisco Molina, had informed the coach of their choice. The federation stated that although they wished to congratulate Luis Enrique and his team for their efforts, they had chosen to launch a "new project."

The RFEF said, "The sporting director of the RFEF has provided the president a report, in which it was resolved that a new project should commence for the national team, with the purpose of maintaining the growth made in the last several years thanks to Luis Enrique and his colleagues. In their initial match in Qatar, Spain destroyed Costa Rica 7-0, but they were shocked by Japan and finished second in Group E as a result.

Spain had a good chance to defeat Morocco in the opening round of the playoffs, but they were defeated 3-0 on penalties after the score remained 0-0 after extra time. Luis Enrique bemoaned the lack of a goal after the game, saying, "We controlled the game. Although I am more than delighted with what my guys accomplished, we could have been more effective in the final third. They fully embodied my vision of the game.

Spain last won a major title at Euro 2012 ten years ago, and since winning the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, they haven't won a single World Cup knockout game. Luis Enrique took over in 2018 following Spain's poor World Cup performance in Russia. He then guided La Roja to the Euro 2020 semifinals, where they were likewise defeated by Italy on penalties.