By David Gold
June 7 – Spanish coach Manuel Preciado (pictured) has died of a heart attack at the age of 54, just after agreeing a deal to take over at relegated Villarreal next season.
Preciado (pictured below, centre) had last been the coach of Sporting Gijon (pictured below), who announced the tragic news on their website.
He died in Valencia, near to the town of Villarreal, and was scheduled to be presented as their new coach tomorrow.
“Coach Manuel Preciado died early this morning in Valencia and as a result of a heart attack,” Villarreal said on their website.
“Villarreal wants to show its deep regret at the sad loss and wants to show their condolences to his family and all his relatives.”
Preciado was fired by Sporting Gijon in January, despite having twice won them promotion during his six-year spell with the team.
He famously ended Jose Mourinho’s streak of not having lost a home league match in nine years last April, when Sporting won 1-0 against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu.
Preciado experienced a particularly frosty relationship with Mourinhom, at one stage labelling the former Chelsea and Inter Milan coach a “scumbag”.
The former Sporting Gijon coach’s life was marred by tragedy, with his wife dying of cancer and his 15-year-old son killed in a car accident.
In April last year his father was also killed in a road accident.
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