Newell’s Old Boys head coach Juan Manuel Llop was fired after meeting with club leadership on Monday afternoon, hours after an audio clip leaked in which Newell’s Vice-President Juan Matías harshly criticised him.
El Choco was already under significant pressure as the club’s coach due to long string of poor results, which came to a head after an away loss to San Lorenzo on Saturday.
Newell’s president Eduardo Bermúdez attended the Monday afternoon meeting in the Bella Vista complex in Rosario.
Upon leaving the facilities, Llop used the word “despido,” or dismissal, but did not clarify the exact nature of the decision. He did not speak to journalists at Bella Vista further.
What is clear is that Llop’s second tenure at the head of Newell’s, in which his side earned 17 points in 18 games in all competitions, was already in jeopardy.
Llop leaves the club just hours after an explosive audio recording became public in which Matías insulted Llop profusely, calling him a “caradura hijo de puta,” or roughly an “imputent son of a bitch.”
“He’s a son of a bitch, he won’t leave. He wants another game. If he loses he’s done, he’s out of here,” he can be heard saying in the recording.
Matías is referencing a meeting that took place between Llop and club leadership on Sunday night, in which the club asked him to step down immediately. Llop reportedly asked for more time and requested the board not take a final decision until after Newell’s next match against Temperley.
-TIMES/PERFIL
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