MADRID: Real Madrid announced on Tuesday, the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as the team’s manager for the next three seasons.
Lopetegui will succeed Zinedine Zidane, who recently quit the top job weeks after winning his third consecutive Champions League title with the side.
The Spaniard coaches the national team at present and is credited for reviving the team’s fortunes to a huge extent since the beginning of his tenure in July 2016, having never tasted defeat in the job, leading the team through 20 unbeaten games ahead of the World Cup.
Spanish federation sacks Lopetegui
However, the timing of the announcement sparked outrage within the federation and Spanish fans alike and on Wednesday, Lopetegui was summarily sacked.
“I am here to say that we feel obliged to sack the national team manager,” said Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales announced at a severely delayed press conference at Spain’s World Cup base in Krasnodar.
Lopetegui had signed a contract extension until 2020 just last month and Rubiales was reportedly angry at only being informed of his decision to join Real minutes before the European champions made the announcement public, AFP reports.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation announced soon afterward that Fernando Hierro will assume the role of coach for the tournament. Hierro, the national team’s sporting director, was due to address the media later on Wednesday.
Spain are due to face European champions Portugal in Sochi on Friday.
La Roja were among the favourites to lift the trophy this summer but this astonishing upheaval, so close to the tournament, will surely affect the players, the newswire reports.
“I have spoken with the players and what I can guarantee is that the players will do everything in their power, along with the new technical team to take the team as far as possible,” AFP quotes Rubiales as having told the press at the media interaction.
Try telling that to the bookmakers. The odds of Spain going far in the tournament would have considerable lengthened following these developments.
Coming back to Real Madrid, Lopetegui’s biggest task once the World Cup is done and dusted is expected to be dealing with the uncertainty hanging around the futures of stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
Before that though, the knives will be out for the top management at Real Madrid should Spain fail to perform up to expectations at the World Cup.
