FIFA World Cup 2018: Fernando Hierro replaces Julen Lopetegui as Spain coach ahead of quadrennial event

With only two days to go before Spain's opening match at the World Cup, Julen Lopetegui was fired as national team coach because he accepted a job to lead Real Madrid next season.

Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales, who made the announcement on Wednesday in Krasnodar, later said Fernando Hierro would replace Lopetegui as the coach for Spain's match against Portugal in Sochi on Friday.

The 50-year-old Hierro, a former national team player and Real Madrid captain, had been acting as the federation's sports director and was already in Russia with the national team.

Fernando Hierro.

"The federation cannot be left out of a negotiation by one of its workers and be informed five minutes before the press release," Rubiales said. "We have been compelled to act."

Rubiales, who took over as president last month, said Lopetegui betrayed the federation's values and it was the only decision he could make......