Spain boss Luis Enrique has explained why Robert Moreno is no longer part of his coaching staff: “He is disloyal – it is a great defect.”
Enrique stepped down from the role of Spain boss earlier this year to look after his terminally ill daughter, who tragically then passed away – with Moreno replacing him in the hotseat.
Moreno guided Spain to the European Championships next summer with an unbeaten record – seven wins from nine games – but has now been relieved of his duties by the Spanish FA.
Moreno – previous number two at Roma, Celta Vigo and Barcelona – is said to be very well-liked within La Roja’s squad but had repeatedly publicly said he would step down should Enrique feel he could return to the role.
“I do not want anyone like that on my team,” Luis Enrique told a press conference on Wednesday, as cited by Marca.
“The one time I saw Moreno in all this time was on 12 September when we had a half-hour meeting at my house.
“He was clear that he wanted to coach (Spain) at the Euros and then I could come back and he would work as my assistant. It wasn’t a surprise: I could see it coming.
“I try to put myself in his position, I understand it; I understand that he worked hard to be there, to have that opportunity, and that he is ambitious, but for me it was disloyal, and I would never do that.
“I do not want anyone with that personality on my staff. Ambition is a virtue but over-ambition is not: it is a great defect. That is why I took the decision I took. I told him that day that I didn’t ever see him as an assistant on my staff. I told him I felt like going back to work, but not yet when.
“The only person responsible for the fact that Robert Moreno is not here, it’s me. It’s not the [Spanish FA] president [Luis] Rubiales or [sporting director Jose] Molina, nor the FA itself.
“I feel partly responsible for that. I am not going to hand out lessons on values to anyone but those are very important in he job we have as we are role models for children.
“Life situations show you who people are, allow you to really know them. They show you who you can trust and who you can’t, who has ethics, who doesn’t. I see who is on my side and take measures, no more.
“I have no criticism professionally: he is a capable Coach. I had no doubts on the other thing until the words were one thing and the facts very different. But, please, let’s not go rooting through the rubbish.
“The controversy is created by someone who worked in my staff for a long time, many years. I am not the good guy in this, but I am definitely not the bad guy either.”
Enrique was appointed national team boss following Spain's exit from the 2018 World Cup in the last 16.
He was in charge for the Nations League, where Spain failed to reach the semi-finals, and remained in place for the beginning of their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
However, he temporarily stopped taking charge of matches from March this year before officially stepping down three months later.
