Gabriel Heinze fired from Atlanta United: the reasons for the sudden decision

A few months after landing at the club, Gabriel Heinze he stopped being the coach of Atlanta United. The Argentine coach was fired by the club that plays in the Major League Soccer (MLS) of the United States as a result of “a variety of issues related to the daily leadership of the team,” explained the institution itself. One of the keys to the estrangement was the bad relationship with the Venezuelan Josef Martinez, the great figure of the campus.

The DT was relieved of the position hours after suffering a new defeat in the local tournament. This Saturday, Atlanta United fell by 1-0 in local condition before New England Revolution. The goal for the team that marches as leader in the Eastern Conference the former Racing converted it Gustavo Bou. Thus, the Georgia state team reached the eight games without knowing the victory and, after 13 dates, it adds only 13 points (product of two victories, seven draws and two falls), which place it in tenth place in the classification between 14 participants.

* Walter Bou’s goal for the New England Revolution victory over Atlanta United

“This is not the decision we would have wanted to make at this stage of the season, but it is the right one for the club”, He said Darren Eales, president of Atlanta United, in an official statement released this Saturday. Then he added: “Gabi is a talented coach and it is undeniable that he is passionate about his job and the sport. We thank him for his services and wish him the best in the future. ”

Heinze had been announced as the coach of the Rojinegro club in December 2020 and had arrived in the United States a month later. His duties at the head of the squad began in February of this year, in the run-up to the start of the MLS season.

In the publication it made on its website, the institution stated that it relieved Heinze of his duties “with immediate effect” and announced that the assistant Rob Valentino He will take over as head coach on an interim basis. “A variety of issues related to the day-to-day leadership of the team led the club to make this decision”they stressed.

That last statement makes it clear that the team’s results were not the only reason that led to the dismissal of the Argentine coach. In recent weeks, the tension between the coach and the Venezuelan striker had grown Josef Martinez, one of the great figures of the team and the idol of the fans.

“He doesn’t have any kind of fitness problem. It is my decision that I train outside the team. You will continue training on your own”Heinze had said this week when announcing that the attacker would be separated from the main squad. This led the footballer to communicate to the leadership that this would be his last season in the franchise in which he has more than 100 goals and with which he was champion in 2018.

Atlanta United fans did not hesitate and they sided with the Venezuelan: they hung flags with his name and flooded social networks with messages for him to stay at the club. Some even threatened to ask for the return of their season tickets in the event that the goalscorer’s departure becomes effective.

All this situation put the team authorities before a dilemma that they did not take long to resolve: this Sunday they decided to dispense with the services of the Argentine coach. It is expected that in the next few hours they will give a press conference in which they will reveal more details of the departure of the former coach of Godoy Cruz, Vélez and Argentinos Juniors.

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