Barcelona legend sent off on coaching debut for verbally abusing ref

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They do say that managing a football side is one of the most stressful jobs, however you would think it might take a little while before that started to have an impact on a new coach. That certainly isn’t the case for former Barcelona and Man United keeper Victor Valdes.

According to Spanish outlet Sport via The Sun, Valdes was sent off during his first game in charge of the Barcelona U19 side. They suggest he wasn’t happy with the award of a free kick and shouted f*ck you at the ref.

It’s a bit of a surprise because he didn’t come across as a particularly angry or aggressive player but clearly he wasn’t able to control himself on the sideline. Barcelona have a tradition of former players coming back to coach the younger teams and work their way up.

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One of the main responsibilities of being a youth coach is setting an example so swearing at the ref’s cannot be tolerated or encouraged.

He had an illustrious career with Barcelona where he played in over 500 games for the club. His career was ruined when he announced he wanted to leave the club shortly before picking up an awful injury. He did go to Man United to back up David de Gea but only made two appearances before moving on to Belgium and finally ending his career at Middlesbrough.

Valdes at Man United

It’s hard to tell at this point if he is destined to move into managing a senior team, of course the main example is Pep Guardiola who advanced through Barcelona as a coach.

He just needs to learn to keep that temper under control.

 

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