Breaking: Spain coach, Luis Enrique resigns for personal reasons

Luis Enrique left the position of coach of Spain and will be replaced by assistant coach Robert Moreno.

Enrique, the former Barcelona coach, has been ahead of Spain for less than a year but has lost his last three international matches amid personal questions.

Spain announced Enrique's absence from the Euro 2020 qualifying match with Malta in March, citing "an urgent family affair."

A statement said: “The RFEF confirms that our national team coach, Luis Enrique Martinez, will be absent from this evening’s game due to a family matter of the utmost urgency. We ask that his privacy be respected at this time.”

He also missed the recent qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Sweden.

It was agreed that Enrique, who enjoyed a brilliant career as a player, including fierce rivals like Barcelona and Real Madrid, would have his future resolved after the recent Euro Cup qualifiers.

 

And his number 2, Moreno, who acted as coach after Enrique was dismissed from managerial duties, was confirmed as the man to succeed Enrique in charge.

Moreno has worked with Enrique in all his previous periods at Celta Vigo, Rome and Barcelona - and will now have a managerial role for the first time.

The coach managed the team for all three games in the absence of Enrique, and La Roja won victories in all three.

Abelardo Fernandez, the former manager of Alaves, had been considered by the Spanish chiefs to take the reins.

But the great players of Spain, including captain Sergio Ramos, were impressed by the impact of Moreno as substitute coach and have asked the head of the Spanish Federation, Luis Rubiales, to keep him in charge.