Marti Cifuentes may have been earning plenty of fans since he rocked up at Queens Park Rangers, but it seems the love is not universal for the Spanish coach.
That’s at least if the latest comments from Hammarby’s Pavle Vagic are anything to go by, with him taking something of a swipe at the QPR boss today.
Vagic played under Cifuentes at Hammarby when the Spanish coach was in charge of the Swedish club from January 2022 to October 2023.
He only made 25 appearances under the now QPR boss during that time, managing just 562 minutes in total in a spell that certainly didn’t work out for either period.
Fotboll Skanalen explain that Vagic found himself kicked out of the squad after a difficult training camp with Hammarby, which was followed by him replaced at half time in a game against Malmö FF and then kicked from the squad for the next game against IFK Norrköping.
He was clearly not a part of Cifuentes’ plans after that point and admits there “there was some conflict and I was not involved” when it came to the manager.
Later loaned out, he found himself back in the picture when Cifuentes was sacked and then replaced by Kim Hellberg.
He’s been enjoying life under him ever since and has now hit out at the QPR boss, sending some very thinly veiled criticism his way in his latest comments.
“Both are very good football coaches, but one is an honest person and someone you respect, who makes you always want to win,” he said.
“Some coaches you like so much that you want to win extra. That’s what you feel with one of these coaches.
“I really don’t want to make headlines. But one is an honest person… I don’t say coach but person. And the other was… or suffice it to say one is honest.
“A coach is honest and that’s the one I have now. How was the other one? Evidently, he and I did not work well together. This was last year. Happened has happened. Actually, I don’t want to talk much about him.
“I feel good now and Kim (Hellberg) and David (Selini, assistant coach) are great coaches.
“So I don’t want to answer any more about Marti.”
