There are coaches with such close and loyal ties to an entity that they are usually called “club men.” Something similar happens to Luis de la Fuente with the national team. The coach is a “man of the federation”, linked first to La Rojita (2013-2022) and then to La Roja (since 2023), he has always complied with institutional rules, an enemy of controversies and headlines that end on cover. For this reason, it attracted attention when De la Fuente put his contract with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on display. “I don’t know if I’m jumping into the pool by saying that this RFEF could have legally closed it already,” said De la Fuente about his contract agreed but not signed with Pedro Rocha, former president of the Federation, today disqualified by the Sports Administrative Court. (TAD). “I really don’t mind waiting until the new president, but for everyone’s peace of mind…” added the coach in an interview on Cadena Ser. Then, true to his form, he showed optimism: “I’m sure that it will be fixed.”
When Luis de la Fuente took over from Luis Enrique after Spain’s fiasco in the World Cup in Qatar, the then president of the Federation, Luis Rubiales, signed him a two-season contract, plus another two optional seasons. De la Fuente overcame the institutional crisis that Rubiales’ controversial departure meant and responded with titles: he won the Nations League in 2023 and the Euro Cup in 2024. His numbers at the helm of La Roja are 20 wins in 24 games, with two draws and two defeats. “I am loving it as a coach. What I do want is for this problem to be solved as soon as possible, I say this from the bottom of my heart, for the good of Spanish football, for stability, for tranquility and because my contract is also resolved, logically. “I’m happy, but I think things should be closed when they’re talked about,” the senior coach insisted.
Before the Euro Cup, De la Fuente’s agreement was renewed so that he could continue those two more years established by the clause in his contract. That is, the Federation wanted the coach to lead La Roja until the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. His contract, according to the RFEF, increased. “Not much, but his salary improved.” De la Fuente, on the other hand, does not defend the same. “Until after the World Cup I have my contract as my staff. My technical team has improved its conditions, but I have the same conditions as when I was promoted from the under-21 team. I have a contract as a senior executive and not as a top-level coach,” revealed Luis de la Fuente.
According to Federation sources, after Spain climbed to the top of the podium in Berlin, interim president Pedro Rocha assured De la Fuente that his contract would be substantially improved. In short, he would have a salary commensurate with his cachet. But the Sports Administrative Court (TAD) suspended Rocha, precisely for exceeding his duties when he led the management commission that replaced Luis Rubiales. So, that new verbal bond was left up in the air. “It would be fair if it had already been fulfilled, but there has been pressure from all sides on the people who have to make these types of decisions. There are many who have not wanted to go too far for fear of possible disqualification. I am very calm and I want a decision to be made safely. “I’m happy, but I want to continue being that way,” added the coach, who, in addition to the two titles he won with the senior team, has won an Olympic silver in Tokyo with the U23 team and two Europeans with La Rojita, one with the U19 team in 2015 and another with the U21 in 2021. Under his leadership in the senior team, La Roja once again won the hearts of the fans. “I said it when I arrived and I do feel the identification, support and feeling of the people for the National Team. From the first moment I have asked for it and I long for that feeling of identity with the national team,” De la Fuente stressed. A bond that had deteriorated during Luis Enrique’s time.
Waiting for the political conflict in the Federation to be resolved (once and fore) — there will be quadrennial elections to the assembly and the presidency of the Royal Spanish Football Federation before the end of the current Olympic cycle, which ends on December 31, 2024—, De la Fuente does not allow himself to be tempted. “I have opportunities and offers, as is normal. The strange thing would be if the current European champion did not have them, what is not normal is for a European champion to be without a contract. Nothing happens, but that’s how it is. “I prefer playing a World Cup with Spain before any offer,” said the coach. In the Federation, however, they do not agree with this statement. “There is a contract. It is not that he is in an illegal situation,” conclude sources from the Las Rozas Football City.
Both parties, in any case, understand that the problem will be solved. For me it is a pride to lead my country’s team, I am privileged. I had never thought about being where I am. But after what has been achieved and the way in which it has been achieved, let it be valued,” concluded the Spain coach. And that is the idea in Las Rozas, the problem is that they still do not know who will execute De la Fuente’s new contract. That contract that no one dares to sign.
