Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

Valencia coach Celades sacked, sporting director resigns

He was replaced by long-standing club servant Voro who has been given the job till the end of the season.

Albert Celades

Bengaluru, June 30: Valencia CF were thrown into a turmoil as they sacked coach Albert Celades and Sporting director Cesar Sanchez then announced his resignation shortly deepening the institutional crisis at one of La Liga's most prestigious clubs.

Valencia's run of bad results continued with a defeat by the La Liga club's bitter local rivals Villarreal and Celades was given the pink slip immediately after the match.

"Valencia have informed Albert Celades of his immediate release," a club statement said, which was shared on their Twitter handle.

He was replaced by long-standing assistant Voro who has been given the job till the end of the season.

Valencia have picked up a meagre four points dropping to eighth in the league, eight points off the Champions League qualifying spots, from a possible 15, since La Liga resumed after the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic enforced lockdown.

Results | Points Table | Fixtures

Celades took over at the Mestalla last September after the surprise sacking of previous boss Marcelino, who had led the club to back-to-back fourth-placed finishes.

But Celades has failed to last the season and the recent 0-2 at Villarreal left Valencia with just two wins in 13 matches in all competitions.

Valencia were also knocked out of the Champions League by Atalanta in March after an 8-4 aggregate defeat in the last 16.

According to Spanish media reports, Sanchez decided to resign after telling the squad earlier that Celades would remain in charge for the game against Athletic Bilbao, only for him to be sacked hours later.

Celades is the sixth manager Valencia have sacked since the club was bought by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim in 2014 while Sanchez, who was appointed in January, is the sixth sporting director to have left the role in the same period.

Getafe boost CL hopes

Meanwhile, Getafe kick-started their bid to finish in the top four in La Liga and qualify for the UEFA Champions League by beating Real Sociedad 2-1 at home thanks to two goals from striker Jaime Mata to earn their first victory since March.

Mata opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 20th minute and restored their lead in the 83rd after Adnan Januzaj had levelled in the second half for Sociedad, who are also bidding to qualify for Europe's elite competition.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Story first published: Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 10:46 [IST]
Other articles published on Jun 30, 2020