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| Awaritefe out the door as Director of Football at Victory. |
To say that the Hyundai A-League’s most successful club has had a rocky first quarter of season 2011-2012 is to understate the obvious.
While neutrals would compare the drama provided by events at the club favourably with a soap opera, for the playing group and loyal fans on the terraces, it’s been an unwelcome sideshow.
The leadership issues which currently confront the club began as early as January with the announcement that Chairman Geoff Lord would be standing down to make way for non-executive director Anthony Di Pietro.
In March, Head Coach Ernie Merrick was ousted following poor showings against rivals Adelaide United and Gamba Osaka in the Asian Champions League. Former Socceroos defender Mehmet Durakovic was named Caretaker Coach soon afterwards.
In June, former SBS football analyst Francis Awaritefe was appointed to the newly created position of Director of Football. Soon after Awaritefe’s appointment, Football Operations Manager Gary Cole was dismissed and Merrick’s Assistant Coach Aaron Healy would follow soon thereafter. When no clear successor emerged, Durakovic was appointed Head Coach on a full time basis.
So when Harry Kewell, Marco Rojas, Jean Carlos Solorzano, Ante Covic and Brazilian Fabio were signed, many thought it would be business as usual; another A-League Premiership and Championship was imminent.
Though, as we know, the wins did not come. Hyundai A-League fans watched on as partisan Victory supporters began to question the direction of the club and pundits began to ask questions.
When, following the Melbourne Derby, players began dismissing the performances and efforts of the playing group it became clear that an absence of leadership was central to the club’s fortunes.
It is as this point, many are starting to believe, that Harry Kewell’s agent Bernie Mandic made his client’s feelings known.
As Victory drew ignominiously with a ten man Perth Glory this week, Durakovic became the target of boo boys and chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing”. Following the match the din became unified on “who do we blame” rather than “how do we fix it.”
On Tuesday, the Herald Sun broke the story that, exactly five months after being appointed, Awaritefe had been sacked by Melbourne Victory. While the club and Awaritefe stated that the Director of Football walked, the move shocked the football family.
Today, though, came the biggest revelation in the affair as it was announced that Harry Kewell had enlisted the services of Argentine great Abel Balbo as his personal mentor and trainer.
Make no mistake, the move by Mandic, so soon after the exit of Awaritefe, is unprecedented.
At a time when Durakovic is under immense pressure, the most powerful player in the dressing room and of course, amongst the fans, has announced that he has, in effect, hired his own coach.
The action taken by Mandic is an utterly breathtaking statement, the consequences of which will surely play out over the coming weeks and, perhaps, the rest of the season.
A player hiring his own coach is a move unprecedented in world football. Not even infamous player agent Kia Joorabchian has undertaken this kind of step. So how does the Melbourne Victory Football Club respond to the announcement? While it may be entertaining, you get the feeling it’s not going to end well for the Victory this season.
Follow Michal Roucek on Twitter - @roucek