Fernando Hierro to manage Spain at World Cup after Julen Lopetegui sacked– live!

More on Spain: It’s been confirmed that Fernando Hierro will take charge of the Spanish football team for the duration of the tournament after the shock dismissal of Julen Lopetegui. Hierro is Spain’s technical director and the two men were spotted walking around Spain’s training ground just a few hours ago, in very deep and occasionally animated conversation. I wonder what they were talking about?

Happy World Cup eve, one and all – Barry Glendenning here to provide some cover while Rob Smyth stretches his legs after a long stint in the hot-seat.

It being the calm before a perfect storm that’ll be begin when Russia take on Saudi Arabia tomorrow, it’s been a quiet day with very little news of any significance.

Well, very little news of any significance apart from Marcus Rashford sitting out England training with a minor knee injury, the USA, Canada and Mexico getting the 2026 World Cup and … eh ... oh yeah, only SPAIN DECIDING TO SACK THEIR MANAGER JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE THEIR OPENING GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated with developments from the Spanish camp as they unravel.

“With Lopetegui, an important clue is the reference to him needing to manage a team ‘of all Spaniards’,” says John Johnson. “In a highly sensitive time when the question of exactly who are Spaniards is a critical question (Catalan separation), you can’t have the national coach simultaneously being the manager of the club team (Real Madrid) most identified with everything anti-Catalan. At least, not if you want to keep your Barcelona players happy, and want to project *some* sense of Spain as a unified country. It was the right decision, but either way it will reinforce the sense of arrogance and entitlement many Catalans feel towards the rest of Spain. Unbelievably stupid move from Lopetegui.”

Yes, good point. I still think there should have been a way for him to continue, but it’s easy to say that when you’ve never lived in Spain.

Spain “Your post at 11:54 suggested to let the situation marinate for another 24 hours before sacking Lopetegui,” says Richard Firth. “However, that would have put them even closer to the kickoff for the Portugal game which might have made them look even more ridiculous had they still decided to sack him.”

True, but it would have given them a greater chance of making the right decision, which is all that should matter. I’m not sure 24 or 48 hours’ notice makes much difference, but an extra 24 hours’ thought might have done. That said, the more you read about it the more you think the Spanish FA president and former Hamilton Academical defender was unlikely to change his mind.

Some more lunchtime reading Ambassador, etc.

Shouldn’t you be doing some work? Oh.

The Fiver! In today’s Super Soaraway World Cup special, the Fiver considers… a Spanish shambles.

A heads-up As an Important Journalist, I’ve had a preview of a BBC documentary that will air on Sunday evening. It’s called Managing England: The Impossible Job, it’s brilliant, and you should watch it.

And some lunchtime viewing (this is great)

Lunchtime reading

“I’m surprised,” begins Edouard Guidon,. “that no-one has mentioned the precedent of the French national manager, Jacques Santini, committing himself to manage Spurs just before Euro 2004, a decision which was disastrous for absolutely all concerned...”

But not for Gift Grub.

The 2026 World Cup will have 80 matches: 60 in the USA, 10 in Mexico and 10 in Canada. 80 matches! Who’d be a golden goose?

The hell with it: while we’re plugging work from elsewhere...

Our own Daniel Harris has been Lopeteguing with the New Statesman – here’s his typically brilliant World Cup preview.

Why Americans should support Mexico at the World Cup

“If Mexico are co-hosting, does this mean ‘The Wall’ will need extra doors?” says Alan Phoenix-Bates. “How’s this going to work? Observation: nobody seems to ask questions like “How’s this going to work?” these days.”

That’s because nobody gets that far – they just throw crowd-pleasing rhetoric around and argue in vague terms until everyone gets bored and moves onto something else.

Here’s more on the news that Canada, USA and Mexico will host the 2026 World Cup. Fifa might want to change the order of the three nations before they come up with an acronym for the tournament.

Spain: who’s to blame?

“There’s a real sense of outrage in Spain about Florentino Perez’s latest stunt and Lopetegui’s perceived lack of respect to the national team. Rubiales is probably reflecting the mood of the nation more accurately than the players. I don’t see that he could have done anything else. Fergie was right: I wouldnae sell Madrid a virus either.”

He sold them the best bloody footballer of the last 30 years though! But yes, the more I think about it the more I think that, at worst, the former Hamilton Academical defender and Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales was put in a horrible position. I still think he should have let it marinate for another 24 hours, but Lopetegui’s naivety almost beggars belief.

All that said, we probably shouldn’t rush to judgement until some of the facts are in, or even all of them.

The English model

I bet Lopetegui could use a pint of wine right now.

Justice for toxic masculinity! “Noticed you’ve mentioned Rubiales’ ‘wounded male pride’ several times over the course of the blog,” says Chris Zacharia. “Had a female FA chief sacked Lopetegui, and journalists had rushed to label it ‘female jealousy’, they would have rightly been questioned for their choice of terminology. Even if Rubiales did do it out of ‘wounded pride’, what makes it ‘male’ as opposed to simply human?”

Spain It seems likely that Lopetegui will be replaced by his former assistant Fernando Hierro and/or the under-21 coach Albert Celades.

Your suggestions for emergency Spain manager include Michael Laudrup, Sam Allardyce, David Moyes, Rafa Benitez, Zinedine Zidane and Matt Dony (the last one, admittedly, came from Matt Dony).

Hamilton Academical latest “I think it’s a bit unfair to put all the blame on Rubiales - this whole story is a complete shambles,” says Benedek. “Why did Real Madrid need to announce their new manager two days before the World Cup? Why couldn’t Lopetegui and/or Real at least inform the Spanish FA of the ongoing negotiations, considering the recently signed contract extension? What did Rubiales think before firing Lopetegui two days before their first game? What’s the plan? The incompetence of everyone in this story is so unbelievable I can’t stop smiling.”

Yes, that’s fair – the former Hamilton Academical defender isn’t the only villain here. If reports are accurate, Lopetegui has been stunningly naïve and Real Madrid have been, well, Real Madrid. But ultimately Rubiales seems to have put his male pride before his country.

“As an Irishman, I remember the genuine shock of ‘manager’ Roy Keane leaving the squad in 2002 but arguably the team did better than expected following all that faff (notwithstanding the stupid way we went out to Spain),” says Colin Ward. “ Anyway, though nothing placed yet I had pretty much finalised my outright betting for the tournament and my nap was a Brazil-Spain final. A question for you and any interested readers: is this craziness likely to completely derail Spain’s chances, or might it somehow galvanise them? I want to make sure I invest my £1.50 wisely. And maybe it’ll transpire in a couple of weeks that Rubiales got concussion following his meeting with Sergio Ramos. Look out for the Spanish FA’s president dropping another clanger in the next 20 minutes.”

With a lesser team I would expect it to ruin them, but Spain are so full of winners that it might be different. Which is to say: I haven’t a clue. You’re welcome!

You’re a handsome devil, what’s your name? While the world tries to take in the news about Julen Lopetegui, here’s a bit of light relief.

“Hi Rob,” says Paul Fitzgerald. “You’d think Ramos would’ve been able to twist Rubiales’s arm on the matter.”

Spain “I can’t make head nor tail of this decision, but it does make me feel a little better about Brexit,” says Alan Phoenix-Bates. “Any news on Jaffa Cakes?”

Not yet. Mary Berry’s 11am press conference has been put back an hour.

“Why don’t the Spain players just refuse to play unless he is reinstated?” says Andrew Hurley. “Would be a rare case of footballers showing courage, and the Spanish FA would have to back down.”

I suspect they’ll just get on with it like the Ireland players did when Roy Keane was sacked in 2002.

There is no news yet on who will manage Spain in their first World Cup game IN TWO BLOODY DAYS’ TIME. It’s a staggering demonstration of masculinity, toxic from Luis Rubiales, who has probably flushed a World Cup campaign down the toilet to soothe his wounded male pride.

Julen Lopetegui sacked as Spain head coach Here’s our breaking news story on the astonishing developments in the Spain camp.

Here’s the Spanish FA president and former Hamilton Academical defender Luis Rubiales explaining the decision

“We have to decided to fire the national coach. What we have achieved in getting here is due in great part to him, and we must thank him and wish him luck. The Spanish national team is the team of all the Spaniards. We only found out just five minutes before the announcement that he was leaving for Madrid. There is a way that you must act. Julen has worked in a great way with the team, but we cannot accept how he has acted in this case.”

This is an astonishing development, just 29 hours before the start of the World Cup. To compound matters, it sounds like the players were strongly against the move. But the former Hamilton Academical defender Luis Rubiales, now Spanish FA president, was not for turning.

Justice for Italia 90! “Oh, and you’re absolutely correct about Brazil 2014 too,” says my new BFF Shaun Lawson. “Started really well, died a death - just not in the same extremes either way as Japorea ‘02. 2014 being the best World Cup this century simply means it was the smallest lump in the cesspit. The last genuinely good World Cup from a purist’s point of view was 1986; though just like you, Italia 90 will always be the Daddy for me, and those who whine about it miss the point of that tournament completely.”

Yes, I think that last point is really important (and is demonstrated brilliantly in Simon Hart’s definitive book about the tournament). I’d argue the last great World Cup was 1982, but I wouldn’t foam all over QWERTY at the suggestion of 1986.

“It’s not the same guy at the helm as then - but this is the same ridiculous Spanish FA which didn’t even give Atletico Madrid the league trophy in May 2014, because the then president was ‘travelling’,” says Shaun Lawson. “The Spanish FA has bent over backwards for Real Madrid throughout its entire history - and NOW it suddenly has a problem? It’s exactly as you just said: masculinity, toxic.”

I’m seriously starting to wonder whether it’s time to make men extinct.

Spain It’s all speculation, but... it now sounds like Lopetegui is staying, thanks to a successful intervention from Nobel Peace Prize winner Sergio Ramos.

Justice for Brazil 2014! “Knock-out stages of Brazil 2014 were better than some remember,” says Richard Sillett. “Well, the last 16 was anyway. Germany-Algeria and Brazil-Chile tense and exciting, USA-Belgium was nuts, and then we had that James Rodriguez goal in the game against Uruguay. Is that what we’re really asking of a knock-out round? A quarter-final stage that’s a non-non-event?”

I know I’m being old-fashioned but I recall a time when more than a few of the knockout games had a pulse. That said, so much of this is personal – Italia 90 will always be my favourite World Cup, and most people loathe it.

Brazil 2014 was objectively the best World Cup of this century - but contrast the knockout games with France 98, which had three classics as well as drama, shocks, genius and all the other stuff you need to hand in an argument like this.

Russia Tomorrow’s opening match involves the two lowest ranked teams at the tournament: Russia (70th) against Saudi Arabia (67th). It’s not just Bodega fans who are asking, ‘How did this happen?’

Spain “Rob,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “There are many things in life I do not understand: Brexit for one, how my dog Stella knows when I even think the word ‘sandwich’ for another. But I truly don’t understand the fuss over Lopetegui taking a job that starts after the World Cup. Is this all just because it’s Real Madrid or what am I missing here?”

See masculinity, toxic. We don’t know for certain but reports suggest the president Rubiales has taken the huff because it was all done behind his back.

Random phrases from Sky Sports News’ World Cup coverage, part 1 in an occasional series

“Word of warning: if you thought you’d heard the last of the infamous Vuvuzelas, think again!”

Unsubscribe.

Spain The key man in this shamb- sorry, story is former Hamilton Academical defender Luis Rubiales. He is the president of the Spanish FA whose nose has apparently been put so far out of joint by Real Madrid’s announcement that he now wants to sack Lopetegui.

The players, it says here, are pleading for a bit of common sense and dignity. When Sergio Ramos is playing the good guy, you know things have gone awry.

Colombia were the most exciting team at the 2014 World Cup. This year they have many of the same players – and the tournament’s best kit. Oh, and they could well face England in the last 16. Here’s our frankly brilliant team guide.

Spain Julen Lopetegui’s press conference is scheduled to start now, but I’m not sure a decision has been taken on his future. This is a magnificent shambles.

Some more brunchtime reading for you

I suppose the counter argument is: Spain were pretty crap anyway, as we saw two years later. But I wasn’t in and amongst the camp, so I have no idea how much it affected morale.

“Enjoying the live blog,” says Ed Gutteridge, lining up the inevitable ‘but’, “but ‘the first really exciting World Cup since France 98’?? After Brazil 2014, the actual, funnest, best ever one?! Madness.”

Were you awake for the knockout matches? The group stages were fun, I’ll let you have that one. But with one once-in-a-lifetime exception, the business end was pretty dull.