Yet more bother at Racing

And us English think Newcastle United are a joke team. The pre-season in Argentina continues, and there’s been more mudslinging and attempts to get out at one of the country’s biggest clubs – and this time some of it’s even come from the manager himself. OK, you know I’m talking about Racing because you’ve read the headline. But if I hadn’t said it was them, you’d still have guessed, wouldn’t you?

Sunday began with Martín Romagnoli departing the club to move to Toluca in Mexico, where José Pekerman is managing (incidentally, they won 2-1 today against Atlas in Miguel Brindisi’s first game in charge of the latter). And as is becoming the way with Racing’s outgoing transfers, he metaphorically turned round and stuck two fingers up at the directors on his way out. ‘I’m going because they haven’t fulfilled their promises, and at Racing there are always these problems,’ explained a miffed-looking Romagnoli. ‘In Racing they do things badly. They need some months of order for the club, to take it forward – not to keep doing things the way they are doing at the moment.’

Later, there came the news that Miguel Micó, the manager of all people, had been talked out of an attempt to resign by Blanquiceleste boss Fernando De Tomaso. De Tomaso travelled to Salta specifically to speak to Micó, and in a chat which reportedly went on for three hours, managed to convince his manager, who must be the most gullible man in Argentina, that things will improve.

Romagnoli is the seventh player this year (that’s the year that’s not yet three weeks old, yes) to have left Racing due to problems with the directorship, and following his exit Micó took the decision to quit himself, and went so far as to miss the afternoon training session. De Tomaso managed to change his mind to such an extent that he’s expected to give a press conference on Monday with a highly ‘optimistic’ tone, telling the club’s fans what a sterling job the holding company are doing of running the place. The players, almost as annoyed with constant changes of manager as they are at not being paid, will stand behind him.

So, Newcastle fans (if any of you are reading this), don’t feel too bad. Your own club may be a laughing stock at times, but there’s always someone a lot worse off…