The manager of ex-Leeds United was sacked after the club misheard the phrase “change the couch.”
Massimo Cellino is a colorful and bizarre character who started his ownership of Leeds the way he intended to go on – by accidentally sacking his manager due to his mistrust of a couch.
Massimo Cellino, the former owner of Leeds United, accidentally fired his manager because he despises the color purple.
The eccentric Italian, who is now the manager of Serie B club Brescia, took over the West Yorkshire club in 2014. He remained owner until 2017, presiding over a wild and chaotic period that had been predicted by the man dubbed the ‘Manager Eater’ due to his fondness for sacking head coaches at Cagliari.
However, the 67-year-old has now revealed that the first manager he sacked at Leeds, Brian McDermott, was not done on purpose. Cellino told the Daily Mail that it all started when he complained about a purple couch at Elland Road.
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Because of his aversion to the “unlucky” color, the Sardinian millionaire demanded that the couch be removed from the club. However, his broken English got him into trouble because they mistook him for the head coach, resulting in McDermott’s dismissal.
“I was a mess when I got there, my English was very poor,” Cellino admitted. My pronounciation was appalling.
“When I arrived, there was a velvet bloody couch in the Elland Road suite. It was a deep purple color.
“‘Change the bloody couch, I don’t want to see it anymore,’ I said.” “And then they fired the coach!”
