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Due to a poor start to the season, the head coach of the Sevilla club in the Spanish "Primera" league, Javier Irureta, has decided to leave his position - this happened despite his team winning the match against Tarragona's "Gimnastic" on Tuesday with a score of 1-0.
"I had already decided everything before the match with 'Gimnastic'," Irureta told the media. "Both sides agreed that my contract should be terminated, but I took the first step towards it. We could have continued working, but everything was going in the wrong direction."
"In the past few weeks, the atmosphere has been very tense, and now the 'Real Betis' team needs changes," said club president Jose Leon.
Former Deportivo La Coruna coach J. Irureta took over at Betis in June this year, replacing Llorenc Serra Ferrer, who was not offered a new contract by the club.
Before the start of the season, the club sold two of its most valued players: defender Joaquin, who moved to Valencia, and the team's most prolific striker from Brazil, Ricardo Oliveira, who joined AC Milan.
The 58-year-old coach trained the Deportivo team for seven years - from 1998 to 2005, during which time he managed to win the Spanish championship in 2000 and the King's Cup in 2002. In addition, this coach managed to lead his team to the UEFA Champions League tournament five times in a row.
J. Irureta, one of the most experienced coaches in Spanish football, has also managed Real Oviedo, Racing Santander, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad in San Sebastian, and Celta Vigo clubs.
This season, Betis has only won three out of 15 matches, but still participates in the King's Cup competition, which they won in 2005. The Sevilla team currently ranks 18th in the Spanish championship, trailing the Levante club by just two points, but having played one game less.
