Las Palmas next to leave La Liga

Paco Jemez rued Las Palmas’ ‘sporting suicide’ to sell Jonathan Viera mid-season after they were relegated from La Liga on Sunday.

Las Palmas needed to beat Alaves to have any chance of staying up, but the islanders were thrashed 4-0 on home soil and Jemez attacked his employers for cashing in on their prized asset once the January transfer window slammed shut.

“We now have a long month ahead of us and we’ll have to endure a tense atmosphere,” he said after the game.

“Beyond it being a very sad day for everyone, going down to the Segunda Division, it’s also very sad because of the result.

“It left us without possibilities. We wanted to delay it, but it wasn’t to be and the relegation happened in the worst possible way.

“Alaves’ opener did a lot of damage to us because it was difficult for us to maintain any optimism, which would’ve let us think about a comeback.

“To the fans, it’s difficult to say something worthwhile. Anything I say won’t be sufficient and will sound like an excuse.

“We’re as sad as they are, we didn’t want this moment to come, but we’ll keep working because there are still many things to fight for, and we must be responsible for the image of the team and club.

“When I arrived, we were already in a very dangerous situation, and we weren’t able to take a step forward, so we deflated and we’ll end the season with some horrible numbers.

“Everything went badly wrong, and that’s why we're going into Segunda. Not only is it one of the worst moments of our sporting lives but also private lives because this also affects us as people.

“I’m completely ready to coach the team for the next four games, facing whatever [the fans] throw at me and taking responsibility, although Viera’s move to China was sporting suicide.

“My future? I don’t want to know nothing yet, although I still haven’t been contacted about next season.”

Tags Paco Jemez
La Liga - Club News