GIFT ROBERTS
Former Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane has said that the reason for his resignation as Real Madrid coach was because the club has no faith in him.
According to an open letter published in Spanish sports daily, AS, Zidane said that he first left as Madrid coach in 2018 because he felt the team needed a new approach in order to stay at the highest level, after enjoying so much success.
He said, “Right now, things are different. I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me, nor the support I need to build something in the medium or long term.”
He further said, “I would have liked my relationship with the club and the president over the past few months to have been a little different to that of other coaches.
“I wasn’t asking for privileges, of course not, just a little more recollection. It hurt me so much when I read in the press, after a defeat, that I would be sacked if I didn’t win the next game.
“It hurt me and the whole team because these deliberately leaked messages to the media negatively influenced the squad, they created doubts and misunderstandings.”
Zidane stepped down last a week after Real suffered their first trophyless season in 11 years, finishing second in La Liga and being knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals. They also suffered a humiliating Copa del Rey exit after they were beaten by third division minnows Alcoyano, in the round of 32.