Espanyol fires Martínez, hires former player García as coach

Published Apr. 3, 2023 5:19 p.m. ET

Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Espanyol fired Diego Martínez and hired former player Luis García as its new coach on Monday.

The coaching change was made after Espanyol lost at Girona 2-1 on Saturday, leaving the team in the Spanish league relegation zone after 27 matches. It was Espanyol's fourth straight league loss.

“The results on the pitch have led the club to make this decision with the sole and clear objective of remaining in La Liga,” the club said in a statement.

The 42-year-old García was a midfielder who played five years with Espanyol, making 262 appearances and scoring 60 goals before retiring in 2019. He netted a brace in the 2006 Copa del Rey final won by Espanyol against Zaragoza.

Espanyol's next match is at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

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