The results of the last European Championship, in which Spain fell at the first opportunity after hitting the ground against Belgium (0-5) and the Netherlands (0-5), in addition to a victory against Italy (2-0) , have been the trigger for the Spanish field hockey federation to dismiss the women’s coach, Adrian Lock. A resolution that has been given in a rush and that was not planned, but that has been taken urgently and irrevocably. The institutional fear of not being in the Paris 2024 Games has been greater.
After the European Championship, the federation made the decision to fire the coach – a decision that has been delayed until this Monday because Lock was on vacation – because neither the game nor the results were with the team, unable to seal its ticket to Paris. Not only that, they also failed to qualify for the Hockey Pro League, an objective that was essential to be able to compete with the best teams prior to the Games. This being the case, there are only three months left until Valencia hosts the pre-Olympic tournament – the last chance for the team to seal its ticket to Paris -, Lock is no longer continuing after ten years in which he has professionalized the team and in which the medals of bronze at the World Championships in London (2018) and the European Championships in Antwerp (2019).
It turns out that after the Tokyo Games, the coach decided to make a generational change in the squad. And it seemed to work well, because in the last World Cup in Terrassa (2022) the team came seventh, beaten in the quarterfinals by the almighty Australia, but with an attractive and solid game. Although he has not had continuity. At the moment, the federation has not contacted any technician, although they explain that by the end of the month they hope to have resolved the mess. This means the cancellation of the team’s next call-up, which was planned for mid-September.
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Source: EL PAIS
