Valencia mess deepens as general director Alemany leaves

Mateu Alemany has followed Marcelino out of the door at Valencia football club, which has thanked him for his "enormous dedication".

Published : Nov 07, 2019 19:55 IST

Valencia CF general director Mateu Alemany (L) follows former head coach Marcelino Toral out of the club.
Valencia CF general director Mateu Alemany (L) follows former head coach Marcelino Toral out of the club.
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Valencia CF general director Mateu Alemany (L) follows former head coach Marcelino Toral out of the club.

Valencia has confirmed general director Mateu Alemany is to leave the club following a meeting with club owner Peter Lim in Singapore.

Alemany and the club agreed to terminate his contract last week and he has now said goodbye to Lim ahead of his formal departure.

"Valencia wish to publicly express gratitude to Mateu Alemany for his enormous dedication, effort and achievements throughout his time at the entity, and wish him all the best in his professional career," the club said in a statement.

While the news has not come as a surprise, it raises further questions of Lim's management of Valencia after a turbulent few months.

READ| La Liga: Valencia sacks coach Marcelino

Marcelino's two-year reign as head coach was controversially ended by Lim in September, with the tactician claiming he was sacked for winning the Copa del Rey last season instead of focusing on securing a top-four finish, which it also achieved.

Several Valencia players were outraged at the decision and the squad refused to take part in post-match media duties after the 5-2 defeat by Barcelona in new coach Albert Celades' first game in charge.

Alemany was reported to have been Marcelino's main backer among the club's hierarchy, having hired him in 2017 and then supported him when under pressure last season.

The decision to dismiss Marcelino appeared to leave Alemany's position looking untenable, particularly given suggestions in local media that he was not consulted about the hiring of Celades.

Valencia, which has won only four of 12 La Liga matches this season, sits 13th in the table.

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