Luis de la Fuente: "After the applause I was not worried about the consequences, I just wanted to be satisfied with myself: I had made a mistake and I had to ask for forgiveness"

He waits for journalists at the door of the building where he works. Impeccable, Luis de la Fuente (Haro, La Rioja, 62 years old), shakes hands with frankness and faces the interview with the calm that comes with qualifying for the Euro Cup and the formation of a recognizable block in a short time, somewhat distant and echoes of his controversial applause for Rubiales on August 25. Greet the girls at the reception of the Las Rozas Football City residence and shake hands with Santiago, the bar waiter.

He does not seem concerned about the fact that on Thursday he must go to testify as a witness at the National Court, perhaps because, like other employees of the Federation, he had nothing to do with everything related to Jenni Hermoso.. A coffee, a water and nothing for the coach, who sits in a not very comfortable seat.

How are you doing? Qualified for the Euro Cup, almost without criticism…I am happy, and I am calm. I have always been calm, and now I am satisfied, happy, glad to have achieved the objectives in an outstanding way, something that reinforces the approach we had in March when we started. I feel reinforced. What adjective would you give to these 11 months in office? Exciting. My work is passion. I am privileged to turn my passion into my job for more than 40 years. Nothing has surprised me. Well yes, the media impact of everything I do. What has been the most difficult? Understanding that there are situations that you think you have under control and that you see that, due to media monitoring, that is not the case. Maybe handling that new situation, seeing that whatever you do has a lot of impact, has been the most difficult. When did you realize that? Almost immediately. At the presentation press conference, the following days were already different.. Until that moment I read and watched everything, I was aware of everything that was said about me, but I realized that it is very difficult to live being so informed of everything that is said about you.. So I said: 'it is better to live a little in ignorance'. Is it almost the only option to not go crazy? I would say yes. Anyone who says they are impervious to comments is lying.. We all have our little hearts and it is impossible. To make decisions more independently, it is essential to isolate yourself a little. How do you think people see you? I don't know if they see me that way, but I want them to see me as a normal, accessible, approachable person.. That I am aware of the great importance of my work, but close. Are you worried about what people think of you? No, I am not worried. The vast majority of people who know me have a good impression. I am a person who does what I say, and I have complied naturally. You also can't control what they think of you.. I try to make a good impression, but then some will like me and others less. What did you learn from everything that happened to you in the 'Rubiales case'? I learned something very important: that we can all make mistakes, that you have to be humble to accept mistakes and recognize them, and you have to be generous to forgive. Were you afraid that those applauses for the former president would affect his position? I didn't think about that. I only thought about having a clear conscience, about doing what I had to do.. The consequences didn't worry me. I was worried about being satisfied with myself and once I reflected and understood what I had to do, I did it: I had made a mistake and I apologized, I asked for forgiveness. What do you think when you see that the women's team asks for more support from the men's team? We really support a lot, in public and in private. There is always room for improvement, but we help a lot and we will do everything in our power.. Nobody holds back any support for women's football or any branch of the Federation.

De la Fuente, before the interview. ÁNGEL NAVARRETE Del Bosque does not like that people put what a good person he is before his professional merits. Does something similar happen to you? No, no, not at all. For me, being a good person is essential, it is an added value. Give me good people, first of all, and then good professionals. But do you prefer people to say: 'he's a good person, but a bad coach'? Professionally, the results put you in your place. Professional assessment is subjective. But what I think is most important is that they tell you that you are a good person. It is better to live by doing good than by doing evil, evil does not rest. In eight games he has built a recognizable block. It's not easy. We know the raw material, the players, and the space where you move very well. Being a coach is being a specialist. In these eleven years that I have been at home I have learned to be a coach, which is not the same as being a club coach. When I was appointed, I knew the present and future of Spanish football like few others, thanks to my work. That helps. There is a general feeling that the generation of Spanish players today are worse than those who won it all. Is that so? Evaluations must be made after the fact. In 2007, no one thought that we were going to be champions in 2008. The assessment of this generation will have to be done over time. But I am very optimistic because I know them well, they come from winning everything in the lower categories and normally that portends a good future. Individually we have high quality footballers. If we are able to form a team, we have all the arguments to fight for something important. Winning is very difficult, but being in a position to win is. Give me a reason to believe in God. Otherwise, life would have no meaning. It's something you have to live, it should have been explained to you. I am religious because I have decided to be. I come from a religious family, but during my life, I have had many doubts and I have been away from religion. But at one point in my life, I decided to reach out again and lean on God for everything I do.. There is not one, but a thousand reasons to believe in God. Without God, nothing in life has meaning.

We support the women's team a lot. In public and in private

We will be populists, or not. If God exists, why does he allow tragedies like the one we see these days in Gaza or in so many other places? Life has those things. God is not responsible for that, it is men who are responsible for what we do.. We are the men who make the decisions. HE was also a man and he also made mistakes. God doesn't have to be guarding anyone. It's a matter of looking at ourselves and thinking what we are doing wrong for these things to happen. What are your hobbies? Faith and football are the driving forces of my life. Obviously my family, my friends… But I spend the day watching football. But I don't just watch football, because it's boring, right? Look, the other day I went to the cinema. I am from the generation that grew up with Rocky Balboa. Tireless, indefatigable, constant, you hit me and I get up… The other day I went to see 'Mercenaries 4' and if there is another Rocky one, I'm going to see it. I have been educated with those concepts of improvement, of effort, of work…Do you think that the new generations have lost those values? Yes, I am totally convinced. Values have been lost, surely because the demands we have had on our children are not the same as those our parents had on us. Having those values should never go out of style. These values are non-negotiable. But if they are lost it is the parents' fault. Things have to be earned. There doesn't have to be anything free. We all want the best for our children, that's clear, but that doesn't mean giving things away for free.. Because today's kids are the adults of the future.

The national coach, in Las Rozas. ÁNGEL NAVARRETE Has your mortgage increased? Yes, of course, like everyone else. And not a little. Are you going to do the shopping? Yes, here in Madrid I live alone and I have to do the shopping. Kitchen? No. Like almost always outside. How many hours do you sleep a day? Little. Four, five, six at most. I go to bed late and I'm an early riser. My father one day, when I was young, saw me lying down at 9 in the morning and told me: 'You spend your life in a dream.'. I like to get up early, live, enjoy.Deny me that football is increasingly boring.For me it is exciting. I always enjoy it, all the games are good. Football evolves a lot, and I think we are seeing great shows.

There are a thousand reasons to believe in God. Without God, nothing in life would have meaning

But there is no one to do a dribble, or a hat…Everything can be improved, and we coaches must accept our responsibility with this. There is no need to restrict the player, let them be free so they can develop their full potential. I do not make very tactically restricted approaches, I am not a hostage to any system. I need the players to feel free. Spain is going to the Euro Cup to…Try to win.