Louis van Gaal has been advised to contact a lawyer over the role Manchester City played in his Manchester United sacking.
Journalist Sjoerd Mossou, writing in his column for today’s print edition of AD, believes that the former Manchester United manager should be considering his options amid the fallout of the Manchester City case this week.
He, like the rest of us, has been watching what’s happened this week.
Manchester City benefit
After reports last weekend that Manchester City had been found guilty of 114 of their 115 charges, the Premier League then confirmed that it was in fact they were guilty of all 115 charges against them.
They have since accused Manchester City of ‘sham’ arrangements to get around financial regulations and accelerate their growth.
That growth led to a near decade of dominance. That saw them win multiple titles and cups at the expense of others. One such instance was beating Manchester United to the Champions League ten years ago.
They ultimately made it into the Champions League on goal difference. Their city rivals finished fifth in the table that year.
| Louis van Gaal — managerial achievements | Tenure | Trophies and notable results |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax | 1991–1997 | 3 Eredivisie titles, the 1993 Dutch Cup, 3 Dutch Super Cups, the 1992 UEFA Cup, 1995 Champions League, 1995 UEFA Super Cup and 1995 Intercontinental Cup. Champions League runner-up in 1996. |
| Barcelona | 1997–2000; 2002–2003 | 2 La Liga titles, the 1998 Copa del Rey and 1997 UEFA Super Cup. |
| Netherlands | Three spells: 2000–2001, 2012–2014, 2021–2022 | Third place at the 2014 World Cup; quarter-finals at the 2022 World Cup. |
| AZ Alkmaar | 2005–2009 | 2008/09 Eredivisie title. |
| Bayern Munich | 2009–2011 | 2009/10 Bundesliga and German Cup double; 2010 German Super Cup. Champions League runner-up in 2010. |
| Manchester United | 2014–2016 | 2015/16 FA Cup. |
Time to call the lawyers in
That failure for Manchester United resulted in Louis Van Gaal losing his job at Old Trafford. And now Mossou thinks he should be watching on with interest.
“I wonder if Louis van Gaal has already called his lawyer?” he wrote in Algemeen Dagblad.
“It has been ten years since he was fired by Manchester United, shortly after the club finished fifth in the league – missing out on a Champions League place on goal difference, of all things.
“Louis did win the FA Cup that season, but he narrowly missed the target and had to leave.
“The team that finished fourth that year. Indeed, you guessed it: Manchester City. The club that was definitively exposed this week as the biggest cheat in football history, following fraud and deception on a staggering scale.
“The entire English football world has turned against the club. But let us not forget the unforeseen individual victims in all this: Van Gaal, too, deserves vindication. Sue them into oblivion, Louis.”
