Luis Rubiales, the Spanish FA (RFEF) president, has said that Luis Enrique was fired as manager owing to the necessity for a “new initiative” and not because of his Twitch streaming.
Morocco eliminated Spain from the World Cup in the round of 16, which prompted the RFEF to decide not to extend his contract and replace him with Under-21 head coach Luis de la Fuente.
Enrique garnered additional media attention during the World Cup because he chose to live stream daily on the renowned live video streaming website Twitch. Additionally, he often posted on Instagram during the event.
Enrique’s choice to broadcast during the World Cup was not uniformly well-received, considering Spain’s performance in the tournament. However, some fans no doubt appreciated the rare glimpse inside elite-level management.
Rubiales has insisted, however, that it had nothing to do with his resignation from the national organization.
“I’ve seen several accounts stating that his Twitch stream or his bicycle trips were the cause,” he claimed.
“But there was nothing like. The departing sports director [Jose Molina], the incoming sporting director [Albert Luque], and I decided that we should begin a new initiative under the direction of Luis de la Fuente. There is no other option.”
Enrique has been in command of Spain since 2018, but he took a sabbatical for personal reasons in 2019 before guiding the team to the Euro 2020 semifinals. They were beaten in a penalty shootout by eventual winners Italy.
Despite receiving equal praise and criticism for La Roja’s possession-heavy style of play, Spain could not win a knockout game in regulation time throughout his tenure.
“Magnificent is the bond with Luis Enrique. We are pretty thankful to him, “Rubiales stated about Enrique.
“Different dialogues occurred. We had always agreed to meet after the World Cup. He did not inform me of his desire to continue. The topic shifted to the conclusion of one project and the commencement of another.”
