A dinner meeting in late April set the stage for an unexpected rupture between Sporting de Gijón and head coach Borja Jiménez. The team had just traveled to face Córdoba in what many saw as a last-ditch effort to keep playoff hopes alive. Behind the scenes, however, the club had already been planning for another season in the Segunda División, with discussions centered on building a squad capable of mounting a serious promotion challenge.
Borja Jiménez and executive president José Riestra sat down for what was meant to be a relaxed meal. Over dinner, the coach openly expressed doubts about the club’s sporting project for the upcoming season. Disagreements surfaced over squad composition, salary cap flexibility, and which players should be prioritized or moved on. What might have been a routine end-of-season conversation soon deepened into a real fracture.
The club responded by urging Jiménez to reflect on whether he truly wanted to continue, despite signing a contract extension until 2027 just last October. Having gone through a similar experience at Deportivo La Coruña — which ended with his dismissal early in the following season — the coach was cautious. He did not want history to repeat itself. Alarms went off at the club’s training center, Mareo, as uncertainty turned into a tangible problem.
Some in Jiménez’s inner circle advised him to stay, attributing the differences to his naturally cautious personality. Meanwhile, Sporting began exploring alternative coaching options for the next campaign, just in case. Both sides agreed to take time to reach a final decision. The situation accelerated over the following weeks, with tensions rising until an exit was agreed upon last Thursday.
Jiménez informed the club that ending the partnership after June would be best, a decision reached after discussions with his coaching staff and close confidants. The club then proposed an immediate departure — asking him not to lead the team in the upcoming match against Málaga. The coach disagreed, seeing that as akin to a dismissal. He wanted to finish the season in charge.
A compromise was reached: Jiménez would remain until the end of the campaign, but the club insisted on announcing the decision before it leaked. Another dispute arose over how and when to communicate it. Sporting director Israel Villaseñor and Jiménez held opposing views. They eventually agreed that the coach would inform his players first, followed by an official statement — all on the morning of last Friday. Shortly after, Jiménez faced the pre-match press conference, where he could explain his side.
What followed only widened the rift. A defeat, a disappointed fanbase, and a coach who, in the press room at La Rosaleda, insisted he was not leaving for a better offer. His words cut deep: “I have my agent going crazy trying to find me a team.” Three weeks of league action remain, including a home game at El Molinón.
