Valencia crisis continues with Pitarch resignation

BARCELONA: Valencia announced that sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch had resigned from his post on Saturday in the latest chapter of an unfolding crisis at the ailing Spanish giants.

Pitarch, appointed little under a year ago, had offered his resignation last week when Italian coach Cesare Prandelli quit the club, although it was rejected by president Layhoon Chan.

“Jesus Garca Pitarch has resigned irrevocably from his role as Sporting Director. Current VCF Academy Director Jose Ramon Alesanco will take on the position in an interim capacity,” said a statement from Valencia on Saturday.

“His immediate tasks will be to continue with the work scheduled for the current winter market, and work on everything related to the Valencia first team in coordination with coach Salvador ‘Voro’ Gonzalez.”

Valencia are one of Spain’s most successful clubs with six league titles and having reached successive Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001 but they have fallen on hard times and are in a relegation battle in 17th place.

The club have hired eight coaches since parting ways with Unai Emery in 2012.

Their most recent appointment Prandelli resigned less than three months after taking the role, claiming the club’s billionaire owner Peter Lim had broken promises about how many players he would be able to sign in the January transfer window.

Former Valencia reserve coach Voro is taking charge of the team for the remainder of the campaign in what is his fifth spell in a caretaker role.

Valencia lost 4-1 to Celta Vigo in a King’s Cup last 16 first leg game on Tuesday and on Monday visit bottom side Osasuna.