Milla sacked by Spain after Olympic exit

8 August 2012 02:29

Luis Milla has been relieved of his post as Spain Under-23 coach after his side’s poor showing at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

U-19 coach Julen Lopetegui will take over from the 46-year-old Milla and step up to take the reins of the U-21s.

Former Spain international Milla had led his nation to victory at the 2011 European U-21 Championships, but a little over 12 months later it was a different story Spain were eliminated without scoring a single goal in an Olympic football group which also included Morocco, Honduras and Japan.

In an official statement issued on Tuesday, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced the departure of Milla and confirmed the contract of his assistant, Juan Carlos Martinez Castrejo, would not be renewed.

His replacement will take charge of the U-21s for their fixtures against Switzerland on September 6 and Croatia on September 10.

Lopetegui led his side to back-to-back victories at the U-19 European Championship in 2011 and 2012 and the quarter-finals of the 2011 U-20 World Cup.