Marcelino García Toral, who was surprisingly sacked by Valencia on Wednesday, claims not putting the Copa del Rey to one side - despite winning the competition - is what caused his relationship with Peter Lim to break down.
"I'm absolutely sure, I don't have any doubts, that the cause of this situation was the Copa. During the season we received messages, direct and indirect, telling us to ignore the competition," confessed Marcelino in a press conference.
"The supporters wanted to fight for it, as did the footballers, and they went on to do that. The coaching staff wanted to fight and win the Copa. Winning the trophy was the cause of this entire situation, who would imagine that?"
The former Valencia coach believes Peter Lim didn't want the club to focus on the Cup and only Champions League qualifcation mattered
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