Juninho hits out at Rudi Garcia: “He’s the most mean person I’ve known in football.” | OneFootball

Speaking to French outlet RMC Sport, ex-Lyon Sporting Director Juninho hit out at the club’s President Jean-Michel Aulas for the way in which the French football executive treated him, as well as ex-coach Rudi Garcia.

“We know him (Aulas), he talks, he is like that, I was disappointed with a lot of things. To forgive is something very difficult when you go too far. Of course it was not me all alone who decided to take Rudi Garcia or not. Rudi Garcia started to put out that I was protecting the Brazilians, and that is false. He spoke with Maxence Caqueret and told him that I wanted Jean Lucas to play in his place. Look at the mentality of this coach. It was Aulas who messed up. I would watch the training sessions put on by Rudi (Garcia), every day it was the same thing. I tried to discuss it with him but it annoyed him… He is the most mean person that I have known in my life in football.”

“Jean-Michel Aulas is used to never telling the Sporting Director how much money they will have to make signings. We have to adapt, but it is not easy to work like that.”

Juninho left his position as Sporting Director with Lyon last December owing to irrevocable differences with the Director of Football, Vincent Ponsot, and for being upset and frustrated with the lack of support that he felt that president Jean-Michel Aulas provided him with.

His relationship with ex-coach Rudi Garcia resulted in a major dressing room divided that pitted the Brazilian contingent against the French youth academy products.