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During today's meeting of the board of directors of Real Madrid, it was decided not to renew coach Carlos Queiroz's contract and appoint Jose Antonio Camacho as the new team strategist.
The president of the royal club, Florentino Perez, announced this news at a press conference, and also confirmed the signing of new defender Walter Samuel, who was acquired from Roma for 22 million euros. The player signed a contract until the year 2009, although his official presentation was postponed.
Portuguese Queiroz was appointed as Real's coach before the 2003-04 season, after the club dismissed Vincente Del Bosque. This decision was criticized because the former assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester had never held such responsible positions. And the critics were right: despite a successful start in all competitions, Real Madrid's season ended in disaster - the team lost the last five matches in a row in the league and finished fourth.
Camacho is already well-known in Madrid - as a player, he played 414 matches for the team. In the summer of 1998, Camacho became the coach of Real Madrid, but after a month he resigned from the position due to disagreements with the club management. Later, he led the Spanish national team, leaving after the 2002 World Cup. Camacho coached Lisbon's Benfica for two seasons and recently won the Portuguese Cup with the team, but it was his last match at the club as his contract ended. Now, the coach will sign a two-year contract with Real Madrid.
