Valencia Club de Fútbol has dismissed Pedro López Mateu as its head of medical services. The move comes at a critical time, with the team struggling near the bottom of the table after collecting just four points from their first seven La Liga games.
The club announced the news in an official statement on Tuesday. "Valencia CF communicates that it has taken the decision to end its professional relationship with Dr." the statement said. It thanked him for his dedication and professionalism during his tenure, which began in November 2019.
The dismissal occurs amid an injury plague that has sidelined more than ten first-team players this season. This health crisis coincides with a deep restructuring of the club's leadership, driven by Kiat Lim, son of owner Peter Lim. In recent weeks, the club has already parted ways with head coach Carlos Corberán and football CEO Ron Gourlay.
López Mateu, with over 20 years of experience in sports medicine, was informed of his dismissal in a meeting with general director Javier Soler. During his nearly seven years in charge of the department, he oversaw the health of the men's first team, the women's team, and the VCF Academy, working with close to ten coaches and several sporting directors.
The sporting context makes the situation more pressing. Valencia sit 19th in the standings, with a record of one win, one draw, and five defeats. Their last outing was a narrow 2-3 loss to Real Sociedad last weekend. The physically depleted squad now faces the international break with an urgent need to regroup.
The club has not named an immediate replacement, but the new medical head is expected to start work during this break for international matches. This pause presents an opportunity to reorganise the department from the ground up.
The priority now is to stabilise a battered dressing room. With the official announcement of Javier Aguirre as the new manager around the corner, the next medical chief will have the task of reversing a negative trend. Valencia will look to turn things around when competition resumes on October 11th.
More detail at Marca - Primera
