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Helena Costa speaks out on Clermont departure

Just two months on from when her arrival was announced, Helena Costa announced yesterday that she had quit Clermont. Today, via Portuguese publication A Bola, she took the opportunity to make an official statement and she had the following to say:

“My departure is due to several events that not a single manager would have put up with. It was a total lack of respect and a show of sheer amateurism. The Sporting Director wanted to sign players without my agreement, even though I am supposed to be managing the team. I find it unacceptable that, in a professional institution, a manager discovers that the club has signed a player through after being notified by the club secretary, by reading the names of players on a list of players taking their first medical tests of pre-season. What is even more amateurish is that the Sporting Director did not reply to my emails, or messages I sent five days before pre-season.”

“The only information I received came from the club secretary. On email, I told the Sporting Director of my grievances. He replied to me like this: “You are tiring me with your ton of emails, I am not at your disposition.” It was the same for the organisation of friendly matches, I was informed only by email that they had been made. Due to my lack of information, meetings with the technical staff were cancelled, showing a lack of professionalism again. In all of these situations, I contacted the President, to ask for a meeting, to reveal all of these failings, the mediocre treatment. I told him about my problems with Mr Olivier Chavanon (Sporting Director), who’s confidence was out of place. I told him I would quit my job if Chavanon remained. The President never recontacted me on the subject.”

“I arrived at the club yesterday, the first one there, at 6.45, to have a discussion with the President. I felt once again the horrible lack of communication, in a situation that I judged as critical. I did not want to meet the players, in order to provoke a meeting with the President and the Sporting Director. After long discussions, the latter man, reflected upon his errors in the way he communicated with me (apologised). I informed all of the people present at the meeting that I was quitting. I have always said, I am independent myself, and I want to have confidence and ability around me. Following the aforementioned episodes, I felt I had none.”