Another coach at Atletico Madrid has just bitten the dust? So, what's new? When Italian Arrigo Sacchi announced his "resignation" as coach to the Spanish club yesterday morning he became the 23rd manager to pass down "Estadio Vicente Calderon" way in the last 12 years, during which time the club has been owned by property speculator and one time Mayor of Marbella, Jesus Gily Gil.
Ironically, when reporters went looking for Gil yesterday they found him at Marbella's district court where he was about to answer some of the 80 charges currently filed against him in relation to an alleged fraud and tax evasion scam involving his property empire, Atletico Madrid and Marbella town hall. Never a man short of a word or two, Gil took time off to comment on Sacchi's departure. "Sacchi resigned like a gentleman. The players never really got to understand his systems. And then for various reasons - players leaving or getting injured -he was never able to field the same team twice."
Hearing that, you might believe that Sacchi actually "jumped" rather than found himself "pushed" by Atletico. The truth is, however, that a Sunday morning meeting of Atletico directors, presided over on the telephone by Gil, had already decided to sack the Italian coach.
A 2-1 home defeat by Espanyol on Saturday night just about sealed Sacchi's fate. That loss, following league defeats by Salamanca and Valencia as well as a Spanish Cup defeat by Real Sociedad, not only prompted fans to give Sacchi the bird but also saw Atletico sink to ninth in the league - 11 points behind leaders Barcelona (3-0 winners against Real Madrid on Sunday night).
That was enough to persuade Gil that the time had come to indulge in his favourite wintertime sport - coach dismissal. In theory, Atletico also had to do something prior to their forthcoming UEFA Cup quarter-final tie with Serie A side AS Roma.
To a large extent, it was more than predictable. However, the unexpected was to come from Sacchi who stormed into a press conference yesterday morning announcing not only his resignation but also claiming that he will never work again in soccer. "I'm getting out of soccer for good. I'm not going to work as a coach anymore. I thought that I would finish my career with Atletico but things have just got too difficult for me here. I am not happy in Madrid and I am fed up with football."
Perhaps, these were heat of the moment words to be soon forgotten. At 52, Sacchi is hardly entitled to his free bus pass and it could be that when the international managerial merry-go-round comes back in his direction again he will climb back on board.
On the other hand, given his last three managerial experiences, Sacchi could mean just what he said yesterday.
His decision to forgo an estimated $4.8 million "golden handshake" from Atletico may be the act of an angry man, disillusioned with his work environment. However, Sacchi will not leave penniless since he takes with him approximately $3.3 million by way of annual payment for this season and half of next.
Remember, too, in the late '80s Sacchi rose from obscurity with then second division Parma to lead AC Milan to Italian, European and World success. Sacchi also took over as Italian national coach, leading Italy to the World Cup final in 1984.
Those were the good days. However, since the Italians lost to Brazil in that final little has gone right for Sacchi. His stewardship of the Italian national team ended in controversy and ignominy when his "arrogance" - he changed a winning team - was considered to have brought about Italy's premature exit from the Euro '96 finals in England.
Sacchi left the Italian national job in December 1996 to return to AC Milan but things went from bad to worse. He took over at a club which had won four of the previous five Italian league championships under Fabio Capello yet his side were out of both the Champions League and Italian Cup before Christmas, out of European competition by the end of a miserable league season and out of a job too.
That wretched experience prompted Sacchi to take a sabbatical, dropping out of the professional soccer scene for a year to lick his wounds before returning to the fray with Atletico last summer. No sooner was he in the door in Madrid than Gil sprang one of his habitual surprises by agreeing to sell striker Christian Vieri to Lazio for $28 million, right on the eve of the season's opening. Undoubtedly, some of Sacchi's current problems started then.
While Sacchi ponders his future, Gil is looking for a new coach . . . again.
