Fabio Capello's future as Real Madrid coach still hangs in the
balance despite meeting all the objectives he was given at the
start of the season, club president Ramon Calderon said on
Friday.
"We have to wait on the report from the sporting department of
the club," Calderon told reporters at a media briefing. "They will
make recommendations as to whether Capello should stay on as coach
or not. We will decide next Monday or Tuesday."
Calderon also admitted that he had wanted Bernd Schuster to take
charge of the team when he became president of the club last year,
but that sporting director Predrag Mijatovic had persuaded him
Capello was the man for the job.
"From my position as a fan at the start of the season I thought
Schuster would be the ideal coach," he said. "But Mijatovic told me
he was not the right person at that time and that we needed Fabio
Capello."
Calderon added: "It was a difficult time. We needed someone who
could clean out the dressing room, bring order to the team and also
win a trophy and Capello was capable of doing that. Mijatovic was
right."
Asked whether the club had already approached Getafe coach
Schuster to take charge next season, Calderon replied:
"According to Mijatovic we cannot talk to anyone who has a
contract, but if we need a new coach and Schuster sorts things out
with Getafe then I imagine Mijatovic will look at him.
"But Mijatovic has also talked to me about (Ronald) Koeman,
(Michael) Laudrup and (Arsene) Wenger."
Calderon acknowledged it was hard to understand that Capello's
position was in doubt given that he had steered the club to their
first trophy in the last four years.
"It isn't normal that within 24 hours of winning the title
people are talking about the future of the coach," he said. "I
can't imagine say Liverpool doing the same if they had won the
league.
"I can't remember a golfer or tennis player being criticised for
playing badly after winning a tournament. It is rather sad."
The Real president said he was glad to see the back of the
"Galactico" era at the club but it did not mean they would not be
trying to sign high-profile players like AC Milan's Brazil
international Kaka.
"The Galactico label did us a lot of damage," said Calderon. "We
seemed arrogant and we made a lot of enemies."
(China Daily via agencies June 23, 2007)