Herrera: Club America fired me over Zoom

Miguel Herrera said that the decision for Liga MX side Club America to fire him as manager last December came via a Zoom meeting.

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Following a 3-1 loss to LAFC and elimination from the CONCACAF Champions League on Dec. 20, Herrera said he was assured he would stay on as the team’s coach, where he won four trophies over two stints.

However, he was fired two days later, with the Mexico City powerhouse hiring former Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari.

“We were called on Zoom by [club executive] Joaquin Balcarcel along with [club president] Santiago Banos and [Joaquin] says: ‘I made the decision, and the relationship ends here,'” Herrera said in an interview with Mexican journalist Mara Patricia Castaneda. “I told him I didn’t agree, the numbers are there and that I was sad and angry with the decision he was making.”

The former Mexico national team boss also revealed that Banos had previously assured him his job was not in jeopardy after crashing out of the Liga MX playoffs prior to the loss to LAFC.

After taking over Las Aguilas in 2017, Herrera won the Apertura 2018 league tournament, following up with the 2019 Clausura Copa MX title and the Campeon de Campones crown. But after dropping the Apertura 2019 league final to Monterrey, Herrera was unable to produce more silverware for his club, prompting critiques from fans and media alike.

After the loss to LAFC, El Piojo admitted pondering stepping down before being dissuaded by Banos.

“[I told Banos] if you want, I’ll step aside. Bring someone else in, because maybe this isn’t working anymore,” Herrera said.

The 52-year-old Herrera is inarguably one of Mexico’s most divisive and famous figures in the game. In his first stint at Club America, he lead the team to Clausura 2013 title, his first as a manager.

After leading El Tri at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, his tenure was cut short in 2015 after video emerged of Herrera punching a reporter at the Philadelphia airport just hours after guiding Mexico to a Gold Cup title over Jamaica.

He then returned to Liga MX with Tijuana, a position he held for nearly two years before returning to Club America.