MADRID, Nov 29 — Former Spain coach Robert Moreno responded to accusations of disloyalty yesterday by claiming he still does not know why Luis Enrique chose to exclude him from his backroom team.
Luis Enrique’s return to the national side was announced last week and he said Moreno had been “disloyal” and that he does “not want someone like that in my staff” in his presentation press conference on Wednesday.
Moreno was previously Luis Enrique’s assistant but was promoted to head coach in June after Luis Enrique resigned to take care of his nine-year-old daughter Xana, who died in August of cancer.
“I had to take the step forward and I did it,” said Moreno in a press conference called in Barcelona yesterday.
“And it does not escape anyone that if I had not continued, he would not now be the coach.”
Moreno led Spain through an unbeaten qualifying campaign and said in September he would be “the first and most delighted to step aside” if Luis Enrique wanted to resume his position.
But Luis Enrique claimed Moreno offered only to make way after Euro 2020 next summer, for which he said Moreno had shown a “defect” of too much ambition.
“In a first meeting with Luis Enrique, he told me that I had done what I had to do and that he felt proud of me,” said Moreno.
“Then I asked him for a meeting to give him a hug and convey my support. It seemed appropriate to tell him that, just as I had said before, I would step aside if he decided to return.
“He said that seemed perfect but he told me that he no longer wanted me. I was in a state of shock. I let the staff know and I wondered what I had done wrong.”
Luis Enrique and Moreno had been close friends after previously working together at Barcelona, Celta Vigo and Roma.
“I don’t know why Luis Enrique doesn’t want me to be with him today,” Moreno added.
“I think he labelled me with words that are ugly and are not attributable to me. I think the years will go by and I will still not know.
“I am the first to be glad that Luis Enrique wants to coach again. I want to continue my career as a head coach and I want to lead a team. I really want to. My passion is to be a coach as someone who started at the bottom.”
Spain finished top of their qualifying group after winning eight out of 10 games and scoring 31 goals. They will be a top seed for Euro 2020 when the draw is made in Bucharest on November 30. — AFP
