About to be six years after his arrival at the Mestalla, Peter Lim is experiencing his worst moment as Valencia owner. The Singaporean businessman and investor has plunged the club into a major sporting, economic and social crisis, and faces a hostile outlook that has a difficult outcome.
All this mess began to brew a year ago when Lim decided to do without the coach, Marcelino García Toral, and the sports director, Mateu Alemany, due to disagreements with the board of directors and the decision-making of the club. The team's qualification for the Champions League and the Cup title won against Barça did not matter when it came to ‘sacrificing’ Marcelino and replacing him with the inexperienced Albert Celades. That has already opened a gap between players (supported by the fans) and the board, but for the good of the team they all chose to lower their heads and work.
The sale of references and a summer without any transfer has weakened the squad
With the Andorran at the controls, Valencia had a season full of ups and downs that ended with the team out of Europe. The result of such an ill-fated campaign has had a devastating effect on the Valencian institution and Lim's controversial project has finally collapsed.
The sharp decline in revenue – exacerbated by Covid – has led the club to cut nearly fifty percent in the cost of the squad, the sale of team references and a summer market concluded without any signings.
As a result, Valencia faces this season with a weakened squad, with many shortcomings and made without taking sporting criteria into account. The new coach, Javi Gracia, was already aware of the delicate situation of the club, but when he signed, a panorama that staged the worst of his nightmares could not be expected. The Navarrese, frustrated to see how the directive broke his word and left him without reinforcements, publicly aired his discomfort and even the resignation has been raised, something that finally has not occurred. At least for now. Gracia's decision to stay is motivated solely by commitment to her players, who like the fans look with amazement at what has been happening in the institution. The coach from Pamplona will have to perform a miracle to meet unrealistic objectives (enter Europe) and Villarreal appears on the most immediate horizon, a team where two figures like Parejo and Coquelin have arrived -almost gifted-.
(+) Hundreds of Valencia fans protested against Peter Lim:
Javi Gracia feels betrayed by the board and his resignation has been raised
On a social level, the river also goes down rough. The supporters' clubs have mobilized in the middle of the pandemic to express their opposition to Lim, questioned from all sectors. The Singaporean has so far ruled out all proposals to get rid of his shares, but the option of a sale sounds more and more force in Valencia.