Louis Van Gaal Says 2016 Champions League Miss Cost Him United Job

• Louis van Gaal says Manchester United missing the 2016 Champions League was probably the decisive factor in his sacking.
• He made the comments in an email to The Athletic after Manchester City were found guilty of breaching 114 financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
• Van Gaal said he cannot change the past and declined to say what punishment City should face, calling that a matter for the judiciary.

The Season That Ended His United Career

Louis van Gaal has revisited the end of his Manchester United career after the Premier League verdict against Manchester City. The former United manager told The Athletic by email that missing out on the Champions League in 2016 was probably the decisive factor in his sacking.

His comments follow the independent commission’s finding that City breached 114 financial rules between 2009 and 2018. Goal reported that Van Gaal believes those breaches harmed him. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed.

How 2015-16 Played Out

Van Gaal joined United straight from coaching the Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup. He finished fourth in his first season and won the FA Cup in his second. United sacked him after that FA Cup final, and the job went to Jose Mourinho.

The league table shows how close it was. United finished the 2015-16 season on 66 points, level with fourth-placed City. City took the last Champions League place on goal difference. United scored only 49 league goals that season.

Van Gaal described missing out on European football in 2016 as one of the worst experiences of his professional life. Goal also reported him saying the club’s chief executive collapsed their relationship and accused him of agreeing a deal with Mourinho long before the sacking. The report does not name the executive.

A Measured Answer on City’s Punishment

Van Gaal did not call for any particular sanction. Asked what City deserve, he said that is for the judiciary to decide. He added that he cannot go back in time, and that not even the Football Association can do that.

Goal reported that the Premier League found City built their squad in that period using sham sponsorship deals and artificially inflated revenues.

City deny wrongdoing and have appealed. Goal reported that City say they hold irrefutable evidence, and that sanctions are still to be decided.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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