Julen Lopetegui has spoken of his pain following his dismissal as Spain national team boss on the eve of last summer’s World Cup.
Lopetegui described the decision – which was made by the Spanish FA after the Coach’s appointment at Real Madrid had been confirmed – as a ‘surprise’ and ‘very unfair’.
"It was not easy for me," Lopetegui told the BBC.
“We worked very hard for two years, we felt that we were ready to have a fantastic World Cup.
“Two months previously, when I signed a new contract with Spain, they put a buyout clause in. It was the idea of Luis Rubiales, I agreed it with him no problem and then it [the Real Madrid job offer] happened.
“The timing was not chosen by me or Real Madrid – I said yes, but I knew the World Cup was my only responsibility. To keep it secret for one month is impossible and was not honest.
“We were convinced it was best to have a press conference to open and close the issue then, after that, the only focus was the World Cup.
“The players were fantastic. After I told them, we had our best training session in the three weeks of our preparation so we were very happy but in the end the president took that decision.
“It was a very hard moment and I will never forget it because it was a surprise. I felt it was very unfair.
“It was a five-hour flight home from Moscow to Madrid and I did not say anything but that is life. It was a very hard experience but you need to try and put it in a positive situation.”
