Valencia players not speaking to the press
Members of the Valencia squad refused to speak with the media ahead of their match against Chelsea.
The crisis at Valencia is far from over as there is still fallout from the sacking of former manager Marcelino Toral. The move came just three weeks into the season and followed a previous attempt from Peter Lim to get rid of the Spanish manager.
Marcelino was a popular figure at the club and was well-respected by his players. A claim given more credence as the players took to social media after his departure came official to offer their words of support.
The players have taken another measure and have decided not to speak to the press. New manager, Albert Celades, was the only to speak after the loss to Barcelona over the weekend and the players did not speak prior to their Champions League clash against Chelsea.
According to ESPN, “Valencia players are on a self-imposed silence heading into Tuesday’s Champions League opener at Chelsea as a sign of protest over the sacking of coach Marcelino.”
Albert Celades did take part in the mandatory press conference but did so without the attendance of any of the players.
Las Provincias, a Valencia-based outlet, wrote that “Valencia has warned its players that it will be them and not the club that have to face the fines and penalties that the league and UEFA will impose.”
Also according to the report by Las Provincias, that fine will be 1,000 euros which in the long scheme of things, is not much for the majority of the players in the squad.
However, what this does is show that there is a significant rupture in the relationship between the players and those in charge. A relationship and situation that was only made worse given the statement the club put out following the Barcelona defeat.
The statement, according to The Guardian’s Sid Lowe, stated, “We’ve suffered but those of us who love Valencia have to come together. Es lo que hay. Let’s close ranks and defend Valencia. Without ever looking back.”
As Sid Lowe points out, it looks like an attempt to try to make people forget that they fired Marcelino and to simply move forward.
It’s evident that the players are not letting this go because they cannot understand why management fired a manager who led them to consecutive Champions League births and led them to their first piece of silverware in a long time by beating Barcelona.
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Time will tell how long the players’ silence will last. The reaction of Peter Lim to the protest and silent backing of Marcelino will also be interesting see. He obviously is not afraid to take unpopular, questionable decisions. Whether that will involve the future of some of these players remains to be seen.