The question for Rafael Benítez, after he went public yesterday on his latest
power struggle with the Liverpool hierarchy, is a simple one. Does he really
want to be the manager of a circus of a club who, beneath the prestige and
the history, are beset by political upheaval, where the position of manager
is treated with disdain? Or does he want to stay where he is?
Not for the first time in the past two years, a power struggle is threatening
to undermine Liverpool’s ambitions, in this case winning a first league
title since 1990, with Benítez causing alarm among the supporters by
announcing yesterday that he has rejected the club’s offer of a new
contract.
Benítez has been angered by the club’s refusal to accept his demands for more
control over transfer policy and youth development, and has made it known
that he could walk away at the end of the season if no agreement is reached.
But where would he go? Real Madrid? Talk about out of the frying pan and
into the fire.
If Benítez thinks that things are bad at Anfield, where he feels hampered by
the dysfunctional relationship with Rick Parry, the chief executive, and by
the continuing unrest at boardroom level, with George Gillett Jr, the
co-owner, coming under renewed pressure to sell his 50 per cent stake in the
club, he should cast a glance at the latest developments at Real.
Ramón Calderón, the Real president, resigned yesterday amid allegations of
vote-rigging at the club’s assembly last month. Calderón, whose departure
will not be mourned, was often accused of ignoring the views of the
first-team coach, preferring to sign players of his own choice, but his
likely replacement, Florentino Pérez, is hardly renowned as a man with the
greatest respect for coaches. As the architect of the famous “galácticos”
policy, under which Real signed the likes of Zinédine Zidane and Luís Figo,
he arguably did more than Calderón to reduce the position of Real coach to
that of a patsy. The incumbent, Juande Ramos, the former Seville and
Tottenham Hotspur manager, is on a six-month contract. Enough said.
In general, Benítez knows that he is on to a good thing at Liverpool, with his
family settled in their home on The Wirral and with no thought of returning
to Spain except, it seems, when things get a little rough at Anfield. His
dissatisfaction with events at boardroom level over the past two years is
understandable, but, having sought an unholy alliance with Tom Hicks, that
seems to be less of a concern these days. The threat he has perceived to his
authority at Anfield is from Parry, from whom he wishes to wrestle control
of the transfer budget, and, by extension, Gillett, who tends to back Parry.
Compared with the situation at Real, he is king of all he surveys.
Nevertheless, as Benitez dropped another Friday bombshell, following up his
tirade a week earlier against Sir Alex Ferguson, whom he accused of trying
to influence the authorities in complaining of an institutional bias against
United, by announcing that he had rejected the club’s offer of a new
contract, it was possible to share some of his grievances.
“I have a lot of experience in football at different clubs and, if you do not
have a technical director and you are the manager, you have to have control
of the football decisions — but always within the confines of a budget which
is controlled by the owners and the club,” he said. “The only person who can
decide the value of a player to his squad is the manager, because he knows
what elements are needed to improve the squad.”
Specifically, Benítez believes he is hampered by a structure that leaves him
reliant on Parry when it comes to transfer matters. Parry is highly regarded
within the industry, but get Benítez on a good day and he will reel off the
names of a dozen players that he missed out on, having felt that deals were
in the bag. They range from Nemanja Vidic and Gareth Barry, perhaps the two
most famous examples, to the Arsenal duo of Denilson and Abou Diaby and
assorted South American teenagers you have never heard of and, in all
probability, never will.
Benítez believes that he should be given complete autonomy over his transfer
budget and that he should never again be left in a position like that in
July last year, when, just as his three-month pursuit of Barry was
approaching a successful conclusion, Parry and the owners vetoed a proposed
£18 million deal to sign the midfield player from Aston Villa.
Benítez believes that the boards at United and Arsenal would never have
treated Ferguson or Arsène Wenger in this way and that, at very least, he
should be able to request the appointment of someone who would work
alongside him, to a pre-determined budget, focusing exclusively on transfer
and contract negotiations while leaving Parry free to concentrate on the
broader responsibilities of a chief executive. The response from the
boardroom is that Ferguson and Wenger are subjected to just the same
restraints and corporate governance structures as Benítez and that it is
unrealistic to ask for more.
Gillett is known to have been disappointed by Benítez’s decision to go public
with what was regarded as a private matter, but Hicks said yesterday that he
was supportive of the manager and would take it as a personal responsibility
to secure his future beyond his existing contract, which expires at the end
of next season. “We understand Rafa’s frustration and we’re committed to
working with him and his advisers to find a solution here,” Hicks said.
If Tom Hicks is the answer, however, Liverpool’s supporters might be forgiven
for wondering what is the question. The question, of course, goes back to
Benítez. He has without doubt been undermined at times by the Liverpool
hierarchy, but it could be worse. He could be at Real Madrid.
Real in disarray
Real Madrid, who are Liverpool's opponents in the Champions League first
knockout round next month, were thrown into turmoil yesterday when Ramón
Calderón, the club president, announced his resignation after a vote-rigging
scandal. The 57-year-old lawyer, who was elected in 2006, stepped down after
allegations that he had manipulated a general assembly vote - effectively a
vote of confidence - last month. Calderón choked up as he read a statement.
“I leave with my hands clean,” he said, claiming that he had offered to
resign despite the board asking him to stay. Vicente Boluda, the
vice-president, will take over until the next election, in the summer.
