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Kondogbia hits out at Valencia president for 'destroying' club
The former Inter and Monaco midfielder was denied a switch to Atletico Madrid and is unhappy with how things are going with Los Che
Valencia star Geoffrey Kondogbia has launched a stunning broadside towards Anil Murthy, the club president, who he has accused of “destroying” the team.
Five games into the new season, Valencia have seven points but are on the brink of an internal crisis as head coach Javi Gracia is threatening to leave the club due to broken promises.
The former Watford boss is angry that the club failed to sign any additional reinforcements during the summer transfer window, while numerous important players, such as Rodrigo, Dani Parejo and Ferran Torres were all allowed to depart.
Meanwhile, Kondogbia appeared poised to move to Atletico Madrid, where he would have been the replacement for Arsenal-bound Thomas Partey in midfield, yet the opportunity to switch to the capital was quashed by the president.
“Having already destroyed an ambitious project, you had to deceive your coach and, finally, me. Thank you, Anil Murthy,” the former Inter and Monaco midfielder posted to his Instagram stories.
Valencia are thought to have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with the club having been forced to cut their wage budget by almost half.
The club has a history of financial troubles, with the Nou Mestalla stadium infamously still under construction due to cashflow issues.
Work began on the club’s new ground as early as August 2007 only for the brakes to be placed on it 18 months later. It is hoped that the stadium will be ready for action by 2022.
Meanwhile, Valencia were one of the dominant sides in Spanish football around the turn of the century, when they won La Liga in 2001-02 and 2003-04, while they also reached a couple of Champions League finals but fell to Real Madrid in Paris in 2000 then against Bayern Munich in 2001 in Milan.
They would, however, taste UEFA Cup success in 2003-04, when a Vicente penalty and a second-half strike from Mista allowed them to claim a 2-0 win over Didier Drogba’s Marseille in Gothenburg.
It was their second European title after they had won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1980.
Their most recent piece of silverware came in 2019 with victory in the Copa del Rey, their eighth triumph in the competition.
