Ramón Díaz recalled one of the moments that marked the end of his last cycle at River Plate and pointed directly at the leadership of Rodolfo D'Onofrio and Enzo Francescoli. The coach explained that the decision to leave the club had already been made after feeling sidelined during the celebrations for a title, a situation he considered a lack of recognition towards the coaching staff.
The former millionaire coach assured that the relationship with the executives was not at its best. "It wasn't a feeling, neither with him nor with Francescoli, it's not a feeling of the best. Because I care a lot about the tree. And if I see that things are done wrong, it bothers me," he stated.
Ramón Díaz explained that he avoided making many differences public due to his dual role as coach and fan of the club. "I can't say them, because I am a coach and I am a fan, but there are things that shouldn't be done. The start was ours. So we gave the initial kick to get everything set up," he maintained.
The Riojan revealed that he had already decided to leave even before officially communicating it. When asked if he already knew at that moment that he would leave River, he answered without hesitation: "Yes." According to his account, the episode that ultimately convinced him occurred during the championship celebration. "A week later we go to the party. And that bothers me a lot. From Donofrio and Francesco. From both," he expressed.
Díaz questioned the prominence that the executives took at the event and the absence of a space for the coach. "Because they throw the party, the whole party. I call it Donofrio's birthday. Our celebration, we achieved the success. What does he do? All the cameras, everyone talks, except the coach. Except for me," he recalled.
This situation was the trigger for his departure. "And I say to him, who the hell are these? And then I told Emiliano, tomorrow we meet and I say, I'm leaving," he recounted about the conversation he had with his son and assistant coach.
For Ramón Díaz, the coach deserved at least some institutional recognition. "The coach can have a word, a greeting. Nothing, zero. All their cameras, Francescoli, Donofrio, the players, and the coach, nothing, it had never happened to me," he lamented.