Valencia’s club president, Anil Murthy, has been fired after leaked audio surfaced in which he threatened to “kill” a player.
An audio clip of Murthy from a private dinner in April was published two weeks ago by the Spanish daily Superdeporte.
In it, Murthy is believed to have remarked to Carlos Soler, a 25-year-old Spain international, “If you go for free in January, I’ll destroy you (in the press).”
In the released recording, Murthy is also said to have called Liverpool and Newcastle “s*** cities.”
Valencia defended Murthy, who was elected president in 2017, at first, accusing Superdeporte of waging a “smear campaign” and claiming that the tapes were “edited and corrupted to create a misleading or prejudiced story.”
Valencia revealed Murthy’s departure on Monday, May 30, citing the need to “regain the faith of the fans.”
“The board would like to emphasize that the content of the leaked conversations between Anil Murthy and other third parties are Anil Murthy’s personal views and not Valencia CF,” the club said in a statement. Valencia CF distances itself from his points of view.
“The board recognizes the value of a strong partnership between the club, the community, supporters, government officials, the media, and other stakeholders.”
The board believes that a change in leadership is necessary to reclaim the fans’ and community’s faith and put Valencia CF in a position to succeed.
“Anil Murthy will cease to be both President and an employee of Valencia CF as of today.”
Sean Bai, the director of Valencia’s academy, has been named as acting director general on an interim basis.
The Mestalla club has announced that they would begin looking for Murthy’s replacement immediately, with Khojama Kalimuddin serving as interim president of the board of directors.