Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has refused to blame Julen Lopetegui for the Spanish giants' current plight despite his sacking as manager on Monday evening.
Lopetegui was shown the door after winning just one of his last seven games and losing 5-1 to bitter rivals Barcelona - a result that left Real Madrid in ninth place in La Liga, seven points off the top.
But Calderon insists current president Florentino Perez must shoulder the responsibility, having only given Loeptegui the job in the summer and sanctioned the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.
'Unfortunately it's another one of the president's whims,' Calderon said in FourFourTwo. 'If he was the right man in June, only four months ago, he cannot be unfit now.
'He signed him just two days before the World Cup started, so damaging our national team and now he's sacking him. So that's the problem, I think he (Lopetegui) is not to be blamed.'
Lopetegui's appointment was announced while he was in Russia about to kick-off Spain's campaign. He was sacked by the 2010 world champions just two days before they faced Portugal in Sochi in their tournament opener.
Calderon, who replaced Perez and served at the Bernabeu between 2006 and 2009 until Perez reclaimed the role, also slammed the decision to sell Ronaldo for £100million.
'That has been the main problem, to transfer Cristiano in June has been a historic mistake and we are paying for that now,' he added.
Antonio Conte was an early front-runner to take the reins but B-team coach Santiago Solari has been placed in temporary charge.
Perez wants Conte but players, led by captain Sergio Ramos, are not so keen.
Ramos said 'respect needs to be earned not imposed' when he was asked about the appointment of a disciplinarian manager.