Real Madrid Sack Luxemburgo
12/4/2005 2:55:00 PM
Vanderlei Luxemburgo has been sacked as coach of Real Madrid the club announced on Sunday evening and B team coach, Juan Ramón López Caro, will take temproary charge.
The club’s vice-president, Emilio Butragueño, and sports director, Arrigo Sacchi, made the decision after the unconvincing win against Getafe on Saturday, which saw the team booed off by their own fans in El Bernabeu.
In a meeting on Sunday morning, Luxemburgo was told by the duo that his tenure at the club was over and an official announcement was made this evening.
President, Florentino Perez, called an emergency board meeting to formulate a press conference to announce the departure of the coach that has lasted just under a year in charge.
Luxemburgo did oversee a light training session on Sunday morning, but then met with Butragueño and Sacchi to be told the news and was asked to return home where he would be informed of the announcement later in the day.
The Brazilian was officially told about the decision along with team captain, Raúl, although both knew what was coming after the news was leaked earlier in the day.
López Caro, who flew back from taking charge of the B team, Real Madrid Castilla, in their Segunda A clash with Gimnastic Tarragona, is expected to take charge for the remainder of the season, while the club lines up a new coach for the start of the 2006-07 campaign.
After taking over in January this year, Luxemburgo's first match in charge was a strange one, as he oversaw the final seven minutes of the home match against Real Sociedad, after a bomb scare at El Bernabéu had seen the game abandoned before Christmas.
Ronaldo netted a penalty to win the match for Madrid and the team embarked on a seven-match unbeaten run under their new coach.
Defeat in the Champions League against Juventus dampened the spriits slightly, but a strong finish to the season saw Madrid threaten to catch eventual champions Barcelona at one stage, before Los Merengues had to settle for second place.
Luxemburgo cannot be blamed for the change in personnel at the club during the summer as the club's new sports director, Arrigo Sacchi, and vice president, Emilio Butragueño, decide upon who should stay and who should be signed.
What he can be blamed for is a series of bizarre experiments with tactics, which the players openly complained about, and a lack of authority over the players, who were clearly unhappy and the team's disciplinary record under him has deteriorated.
After opening this campaign with a win at Cádiz, the team lost their next three outings and, despite a run of six consecutive victories in late-September and early-November, it was the style of play that was causing most concern.
Madrid were still picking up points and remained close to the top of the table, but their unconvincing displays led to a vote of confidence recently after being outplayed by arch rivals Barcelona, but the board's hand was forced after a dismal showing in the 1-0 win against Getafe on Saturday.
Ronaldo clinched all the points for the home side, but the team were booed off after their modest neighbours looked the stronger side and enjoyed 64 per cent of the possession.
The decision to sack the coach was not one that the club would have taken lightly, but after lengthy negotiations with various members of the coaching staff, Butragueño and Sacchi, advised the president and the board that it was time for a new face to take charge.
Axing Luxemburgo will be another black mark against Florentino Pérez as he is now looking looking for his sixth coach since removing Vicente Del Bosque the day he won the club's 29th league title at the end of the 2002-03 season.
Carlos Quieroz was brought in as the new face, after the president believed that the Del Bosque did not match the club's new image, but the Portguese coach lasted just one season, before being replaced by former Spain trainer José Antonio Camacho.
The club's former player could only take the pressure for three months and resigned on the flight back from a defeat at Espanyol, just three matches in to last season, and reports suggested that he was furious about being told that certain players had to play.
Mariano García Remón was plucked from the club’s coaching staff and was put in charge for the three months leading up until last Christmas, before Luxemburgo was unveiled.
There is due to be a press conference late on Sunday night and Goal.com will bring the news as it happens.
Source:GOAL.COM
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