Real Mallorca in Profile: Javier Agurire talks VAR, his 'mother****ing players' & paradise

“You know what? I'm the referee in training, I use my whistle. And the guys cheat me. 'No coach, he gives me the shoulder. No coach, I didn't touch him. The guys are cheaters. Motherf******s'...

Javier Aguirre is the type of man, who sometimes divides opinion, but there is no denying he is thrilling company. Extremely charismatic, more often than not with a big smile on his face, he comes across as very polite when meeting a bunch of journalists for a media-sitting. Whereas many coaches act like they'd rather have a root canal treated than talking to the press, Aguirre seems happy to share his visions and goals for his current club, RCD Mallorca.

The above-mentioned statement comes after being asked to give an opinion on the current state of VAR in the Spanish game.

“I love VAR! I love it because it creates justice, you know. If there's a clear offside and the linesman didn't see, okay, then VAR is perfect. The referees suffer a lot of pressure, okay, maybe they make a mistake, of course they do. I do, everybody does," Aguirre explains, before telling how much the players try to cheat even him on the training ground.

He does that with tongue in cheek, just like when he recently called the team's topscorer a “weird, ugly monster", to which the man in question, Vedat Muriqi, replied, “He's right, I am. And he's not so handsome either!"

One suspects Aguirre would have cracked up laughing when hearing that reply and the banter says a lot about the state of RCD Mallorca these days. Founded in 1916 the club has endured some tough times in recent years, culminating in relegation to Segunda B in 2017. The third tier of Spanish football.

In March 2022 the club found itself on a six-game losing streak in La Liga, when Aguirre