The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced this Thursday the decision of Jose Francisco Molina to “not renew” his contract at the head of the sports management of the Spanish team “to make way for a new project”, after the early elimination in the World Cup in Qatar 2002, and that the until now member of the presidential cabinet Albert Luque happens to occupy his position.
“The national team will face a restructuring with a new management model in the sports field after the decision of Jose Francisco Molina not to renew his contract and to end his stage in the RFEF after the World Cup in Qatar to make way for a new project Albert Luque will be the new director of the National Team,” the RFEF said in a statement.
The former goalkeeper for the national team and for teams such as Atletico de Madrid or Deportivo de La Coruna reached an agreement with the RFEF to leave his position with a view to starting the new project for the national team. In this way, the RFEF thanked him for his “professionalism”, “work” and “commitment” to the growth of the National Team and Spanish football in general.
Molina joined the RFEF in 2018 and under his management the national team managed to reach two Final Fours of the League of Nations and the semifinals of EURO 2020. As sports director and head of all the men’s teams, he also won a European Under-21, another Under-19 and an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo 2020.
Albert Luque makes a leap in the Federation and will assume the organization of the national team and its lower categories, two days after the elimination of the ‘Red’ against Morocco in the round of 16 penalty shootout of the World Cup.
Francis Hernandez, who will remain as coordinator of the lower teams, will be his deputy. Thursday began with the announcement by the RFEF of the departure of the Spanish coach Luis Enrique Martinez, in charge of the absolute team, and the arrival of the until now U-21 coach, Luis de la Fuente, in charge.
