MADRID, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Eder Sarabia announced on Wednesday that he is stepping down as coach of La Liga side Elche and will take a break from football.

The decision comes just five days after Elche secured a place in La Liga for next season with a 1-1 draw away to Girona, completing a successful campaign a year after Sarabia guided the club to promotion from the second division.

"We have decided not to continue. We may have saddened many people, and they may be disappointed, but we hope they understand the reasons," Sarabia said at a press conference, where he thanked the club for "two incredible years."

"We achieved promotion, stayed up, and filled the stadium, that was the dream I had," he added, while also thanking his coaching staff, players and supporters.

Sarabia said he does not plan to return immediately to coaching, citing the demands the profession places on personal life.

"This is a demanding profession where you neglect other things: family, children, friends," he said. "We're not going to coach. We're going to take a few months off, to prepare, get organized and attend to other needs that are also fundamental." ■