English Championship soccer team Brighton and Hove Albion sacked manager Gus Poyet on Sunday night — and the Uruguayan only learned the news while on live television.
Poyet was informed of his dismissal by the BBC while he was appearing as a TV pundit on the corporations’ coverage of the Confederations Cup.
“I think the BBC got a great story forever, really, because a manager getting the information that he’s been released from his employment during the time of a program is quite surprising,” the 45-year-old Poyet said.
He confirmed he would take up his right of appeal against the sacking decision.
Brighton had announced the sacking, which was not unexpected, on their Twitter feed.
The Uruguayan had been suspended last month for an alleged breach of contract and looked odds-on to be dismissed when he failed to appear before a club disciplinary hearing.
Poyet did attend a reconvened hearing on Thursday aimed at resolving his differences with club chairman Tony Bloom, but the announcement of his sacking came on Sunday night while he was appearing on television.
The club statement announced: “Gus Poyet has been informed today by Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club’s internal disciplinary panel that his employment has been terminated with immediate effect.”
Newspaper reports in England last week suggested Brighton had already lined up the former Maccabi Tel Aviv manager Oscar Garcma as Poyet’s replacement.
Garcia, a 40-year-old Spaniard, played for Barcelona and coached their youth team for two seasons, joining Maccabi in May last year for his first senior management job and leading the club to their first league title in 10 years.
He resigned shortly afterward, citing personal reasons.
Poyet, who has been linked with the vacant managerial chair at relegated Wigan Athletic, recently came under fire for his managerial style.
Spanish fullback Vicente, who was released by Brighton, blasted Poyet in local newspaper the Argus.
Vicente, who played in the Champions League and Spain’s La Liga for Valencia and was capped 38 times by Spain, told the Argus: “He is the worst person I’ve come across in football.”
He added: “For me he is a selfish person, very egocentric. I say that because it’s how I feel.”
“I won’t talk badly about my teammates, because they have been fantastic with me. What I think is unacceptable is that the manager makes fun of his players,” Vicente said.
“I’ve seen things here [at Brighton] that I have never seen in my career. If you miss with a shot in training, he makes fun. For me, that is unacceptable in football,” he added.
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