Ibon Navarro: “I don’t want to leave Malaga, but it’s what I have to do”
Ibon Navarro He stated this Wednesday in his farewell as coach of the Unicajaafter four and a half years on the bench and seven titles won, that he did not want to leave “Málaga”, but that it is something he “has to do”.
“I have told you many times that you have to know how to leave one day before they kick you out. I’m not saying that that was going to happen, but the stages have a duration,” said the Vitorian coach in a press conference, which noted that his assistants “have realized the wear and tear, that the work was still being done well, but “They have seen that wear and tear and it has not been easy.”
The Basque coach informed the club’s leaders a few days ago of his decision not to fulfill the remaining year of his contract and explained that “it was before the end of the season when Juanma Rodríguez (sports director) and Antonio Jesús López (president) already knew what he thought, but the definitive moment was after the end of the regular season.”
Ibon Navarro He commented on the renewal offer that he had in his possession from Unicaja and said that they offered him “three more years of contract, the one that was missing and two more” and that it was “a great pride” for him, but that “ “At that moment,” he said, “he was beginning to have doubts.”
“The results were better than the sensations, the players made a great effort to move forward and avoid many obstacles. I perceived a certain wear and tear on the message we could send, it’s been four years“he added.
“Being coach of Unicaja is not about coming and coaching this team, which is very easy with the human and sporting level of the locker room, it is something more. I had a mental state of lack of energy, of excitement that I was losing.“he explained.
The president of Unicaja, for his part, showed his emotion at the coach’s farewell and highlighted that “it is a special day, unexpected, but very special.” “We are going to fire Ibon. It is something we did not think about, in fact we have pushed him as hard as we could to keep him going. He has a firm offer from the club, he had one more year on his contract and an extension offer“he said.
“I absolutely respect your decision, it is a personal decision. It is the club’s gratitude for the magnificent moments we have experienced, with excellent group work, with surely unrepeatable successes, it enters the history of Unicaja by its own right,” said the leader.
