Athletic Bilbao’s coach Marcelo Bielsa said Monday he is staying with the club despite earlier reports he was considering resigning in a row with the board.
Bielsa had indicated his intention to resign on Friday after the club refused to support his criticism of the construction company employed to improve the facilities at the club’s Lezama training base.
After meeting with the club’s board on Friday evening, Bielsa was convinced to rethink his decision, but he admitted in a statement on his Facebook page on Monday that the disagreement had affected the camp.
“I will continue developing my role as I have until now,” the 56-year-old said. “I maintain the commitment I accepted with the institution.
“I can accept their [the board’s] removal of my authority, but… they indicated that my statements lacked truth. What has happened has modified our relationship.”
Bielsa stood by his earlier criticism of the work being done at the club’s training ground.
“It is not my subjective opinion with respect to the quality of work, the stage of its development, the control and fulfilment of the works at Lezama,” he said.
“I can show that every one of the things I said corresponds to concrete and verifiable facts.
“If no one has been at fault, then why were the facilities not available for the first team for the start of pre-season?”
Bielsa, former national coach of Argentina and Chile, led Athletic to last season’s UEFA Europa League final and Spanish Copa del Rey final and extended his contract with the side last month until June 2013.
