Having prised José Camacho away from Benfica this summer, the Real Madrid board accepted their coach’s resignation only three league games into the new season, as both parties felt that no progress was being made on the pitch. This was Camacho’s second spell in charge of Real, after a 23-day stint in 1998 which ended before the season had even started. While the usual candidates are being lined up, it may well be that caretaker boss Garcia Remon makes the job his own. Curiously, Madrid, who a once-more Cuba-bound Maradona describes as “a sick pack of dogs”, topped La Liga only a day after Camacho’s demise after another David Beckham free kick ensured a 1-0 victory over Osasuna. It is believed that a players’ revolt led by Raul, who was left on the bench against Espanyol, contributed as much to the current situation as did the 3-0 Champions League humiliation against Bayer Leverkusen.
To make matters worse, Madrid’s stars could only watch in amazement as they were beaten 2-1 by Bilbao last Saturday.
