Filed under: Soccer

Seriously, is this any way to reward a coach who delivered a league title?

Fabio Capello may just have guided Real Madrid to their first league title in four years but the club have decided to dispense with his services.

Perhaps it’s not the fact that he was let go, but the reason why he was let go that may be the most shocking…

The Italian’s departure had long been mooted but many believed Madrid’s dramatic overhaul of Barcelona in the final weeks of the season would have convinced the club’s authorities to keep faith with the man to whom they gave a three-year contract only last June. Ultimately, though, the team’s laborious, if successful, playing style is what has cost Cappello his job.

If that’s the new standard, I fully expect the San Antonio Spurs to shove Gregg Popovich out the door within the next three hours. Winning ugly is still winning, and if it’s not aesthetically pleasing, maybe that requires a review of the rulebook rather than a new coach.

Of course, passing new laws in soccer is a lot harder to do than in, say, the NFL, because new laws affect the entire planet, and not everyone will want to play by your new rules just because a few clubs in Spain play a style that their fans think isn’t very pretty. Still, is winning a title without looking fabulous really a reason to fire the coach?

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