|
Perez quits as Real Madrid president
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-28 08:54
But the team's fortunes suffered a decisive downturn after Perez decided to
discard Vicente del Bosque as coach the day after they won the league title and
shortly after England captain David Beckham was signed.
Real have got through five coaches since then, but have not managed to win
any major silverware.
If they fail to win anything this season it will be the first time in 52
years that they have gone three consecutive seasons without winning a
significant trophy.
Real were knocked out of the King's Cup by Real Zaragoza earlier this month
after suffering a humiliating 6-1 defeat in the first leg and have an uphill
task to make the quarter-finals of the Champions League after losing 1-0 at home
to Arsenal.
RIFTS IN SQUAD
Sunday's league defeat at Mallorca left them 10 points behind arch-rivals
Barcelona with 13 games left to play.
Perez made it clear that his decision to quit was not only down to poor
results, but also due to the attitude of the players and the rifts that were
emerging in the squad.
"I think we have played some spectacular football in these years, but maybe
some of the players may have begun to get confused and I may have contributed to
that confusion.
"The club needs a profound renewal and I think that someone else will be a
more appropriate figure to oversee that process."
Perez said he was in agreement with defender Sergio Ramos's comments about
the lack of team spirit at the club after the 19-year-old complained about his
team mates' lukewarm celebration when he scored the opening goal against
Mallorca.
"Sergio Ramos was right in what he said and I would like to see our players
celebrate goals in the same way that Mallorca celebrated their goals," said
Perez.
Ramos's remarks came less than a week after Real Madrid captain Raul publicly
reprimanded Brazilian striker Ronaldo for his criticisms of the club's fans on
the eve of their Champions League match against Arsenal.
|
