 Aragones succeeded Inaki Saez as coach of Spain in 2004 |
Spain coach Luis Aragones has revealed why he has decided not to quit after handing in his resignation following the 3-2 defeat by Northern Ireland. The 68-year-old said: "I originally thought that I should resign because of the bad result, but the Spanish football federation wouldn't accept it.
"I thought I would resign up until five in the afternoon, but my assistants persuaded me to change my mind.
"They said we could still qualify for Euro 2008," he added on Spanish TV.
Aragones denied his change of heart had been influenced by the fact that he would not receive any financial compensation if he resigned.
"It wasn't down to the money, it was more to do with the people around me."
Aragones, a former player and then coach of Atletico Madrid, was appointed as national coach in 2004, succeeding Inaki Saez.
After the 3-2 defeat by Northern Ireland, Spanish newspaper Marca polled 100,000 fans on its website, with nearly 80% calling for Aragones to resign.
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