Spain boss Luis Enrique hits out at 'disloyal' former assistant Robert Moreno

By Tommaso Fiore

Image: Luis Enrique (L) has hit out at former assistant Robert Moreno (R) accusing him of disloyalty

Spain boss Luis Enrique has branded former assistant Robert Moreno "disloyal" and says there is no place for him in his backroom staff.

Last week the Royal Spanish Football Federation announced that Enrique had been re-appointed as Spain head coach after leaving his post in June to look after his daughter Xana, who died from bone cancer in August aged nine.

His assistant Moreno was promoted to the position of head coach, promising to stand aside whenever Enrique wished to return, and subsequently led Spain to qualification for the Euro 2020 finals in June next year.

Following Spain's final Euro qualifier against Romania earlier this month, it was announced that Moreno had resigned to step aside for Enrique, but questions have been asked as to why he has not returned as assistant head coach.

"The only person responsible for the fact that Robert Moreno is not in the coaching staff is myself," Enrique said in a press conference to mark his Spain return on Wednesday.

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Image: Enrique was presented as returning Spain boss at a press conference on Wednesday

"We met in my house in September, he told me he wanted to take charge of the team at the Euros and that if I wanted, he would have gone back to being my assistant afterwards.

"I understand, he's ambitious and he worked very hard to become head coach of the national team but he's been disloyal, and I think this is a big flaw.

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"I don't want people like this in my staff. I told him that I am strong and I have the determination, but he would not be part of my team.

Highlights of Spain's 5-0 win over Romania in Group F of the Euro 2020 Qualifiers.

"Then, in a meeting in October, I told the Federation that they didn't owe me anything. They just showed they were interested for me to come back and I gave my point of view.

"I feel responsible, I'm not proud of how everything panned out, we have to mirror the values that we share, fairness, honesty and sincerity. I'm not the good guy, or the bad guy either."

Spain will play all three of their Euro 2020 group stage games at the Estadio San Mames in Bilbao, one of the twelve host cities of the tournament, and will discover their opponents in Saturday's draw in Bucharest, Romania.

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