Spain coach Fernando Hierro steps down following World Cup elimination
Just days after falling to Russia in the Round of 16 at the World Cup, Spain will once again be searching for a new coach.
Fernando Hierro has stepped down as Spain’s interim head coach on Sunday following the exit from the tournament. Hierro’s tenure at the helm of the team didn’t last long, either. He replaced former coach Julen Lopetegui just two days before the World Cup started last month.
Hierro also stepped down as the director of the sports director of the Spanish Football Association, a position he held since November 2017.
“After many kilometers of walking together, the Spanish [Football Association] and Fernando Hierro put an end to their relationship once the participation of Spain in the World Cup has come to an end,” the organization said in a statement on Sunday. “The coach declined to return to his previous position as sporting director of the Spanish FA to seek new horizons and undertake new challenges.”
Hierro previously held the sports director position from 2007-2011, too, when the national team won the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup.
Spain lead Group B in the opening round of the World Cup, beating Iran 1-0 and tying with both Portugal and Morocco. They fell in a penalty shootout in the Round of 16 to Russia on July 1.
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