Johan Cruyff has blasted Real Madrid for making a ‘big mess’ in allowing Zinedine Zidane to coach their Castilla team without the necessary licence.
The legendary Frenchman holds a UEFA ‘A’ Level Two licence but not the Level Three, which is required to manage a team in the Segunda B, and was subsequently slapped with a three-month ban from coaching last October, until the suspension was overturned a month later
“Why didn’t they say anything? It’s lack of class on their part,” the Barcelona great told El Eganche.
“Given all the years Zidane played and that he was an assistant to [Carlo] Ancelotti, who can teach him anything?
“Zidane had to be registered [with UEFA]. I don’t understand how everything appeared two months later. That’s what bothers me.
“Madrid made a big mess [of the situation] because whoever was in office [at the time] should have told [UEFA] with a phone call.
“There are few better than [Zidane], so we can’t ask him to learn what he’s proven to already know.”
Cruyff, who was in charge of Barca’s Dream Team between 1988 and 1996, then noted how the system in Dutch football has changed to accommodate ex-international players in coaching positions and revealed the difficulties he faced in earning his badges.
“Certainly, there are always little things to be learned. In Netherlands, we’ve changed the system,” he added.
“We’ve changed it so when someone is assistant Coach of the national team, as has happened with [Frank] De Boer, [Marco] van Basten, [Frank] Rijkaard, [Ronald] Koeman, they learned everything automatically and got their licence.
“I wanted to earn my licence and asked to take the test, but they said I had to study four years first.
“I told them 'you’re crazy].’ Who will study four years? How will someone explain managerial techniques to me when I know more than they do?”
