Walkie talkies and Spanish football: A longer story than you might expect
Luis Enrique is experimenting with technology.
Luis Enrique is no stranger to going beyond the norms, as his squad announcement videos show, with the latest coming with a bike ride through the rainy Sierra of the outskirts of Madrid. This time, he’s turned to walkie talkies to communicate with players as they train, using his platform at the Spanish national team’s base to give guidance to players as a team and as individuals.
Spain’s squad met early this week for a famously intense international window where La Roja will take on Switzerland on Saturday and Portugal on Tuesday in the UEFA Nations League in their final fixtures ahead of the World Cup in Qatar in November.
The technology allows the Asturian to connect with his players and guide them, adding to a series of innovations at the RFEF’s headquarters in Las Rozas to make it one of the most advanced training centres in the world. It also shows the latest step ahead of preparations for this winter’s tournament where Spain will be based at Qatar University, just north of Doha.
“I hope I don’t shout too much, I’m not used to talking to people far away so quietly,” the coach joked when asked about the tech in an informative meeting with the media. Much has been made across the media of the use of the sets, with some labelling it a gimmick while others have claimed it to be further evidence of his visionary nature.
But this isn’t the first use of such technology in Spanish football. You can backtrack a whole 17 years to a high profile case, involving then Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo and captain Raúl.
It was for the club’s annual pre-season tournament, the Santiago Bernabéu Trophy, in a match at the stadium named after their former president against an MLS All Star XI. With an earpiece taped in and covered by his hair, Raúl could tune in to his coach from the pitch, with Luxemburgo on the touchlines with a walkie talkie to communicate.
It caused controversy, particularly post-match. Referee Eduardo Iturralde González insisted that he had no knowledge of the technology being used, despite media reports to the contrary. Eventually, he was contacted by FIFA, who demanded a statement from the official. In the end, there was no further punishment, but FIFA made it very clear to Real Madrid that Luxemburgo’s experiment could not be repeated.
"It was a positive experience. It didn't bother Raul at all,” the Brazilian coach explained. “Technology is not going to change the player's ability and quality. I think some people think I'm going to use the earpiece to narrate the game." However, there were reports citing “dressing room sources” that claimed that Real Madrid’s number seven did not enjoy having his coach in his ear to quite the same extent.
Luis Enrique will now be hoping that, while his experiments are limited to training sessions, it goes down a little better with his players.