Former French World Cup runner-up ready for new opportunities after leaving Greek side under controversial circumstances | OneFootball

Only a few weeks after assuming the head coaching duties for Asteras Tripolis, Claude Makélélé has had enough of the politics in Greece.

The man who helped France reach the final of the 2006 World Cup has decided to leave the club after only three matches in charge.

Before accepting that position, Makélélé had been out of coaching for five years, with his previous post being in Belgium as the manager of K.A.S. Eupen.

A former Ligue 1 champion with FC Nantes, who claimed back-to-back Premier League titles at Chelsea, did not mince words, calling out members of the Tripolis front office.

Makélélé told London World “They promised me full control of the team. It was my decision who played and who didn’t play. Transfers were not my responsibility,” explains the 51-year-old.

He goes on to say that in his final match in charge, members of the club asked him to bench Frenchman Darnell Bile, a decision Makélélé was not on board with.

In his last match in charge of the Greek outfit, Bile had two assists in 20 minutes of action, helping Asteras Tripolis to a 3-1 victory over Kallithea.

That was the last straw for the ex-Real Madrid player, who is eager to get back into coaching sooner rather than later.

Since retiring as a player, Makélélé served as the head coach of SC Bastia in 2014 while also having a stint as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Paris Saint-Germain and serving as a youth coach with Chelsea.

During his time in management at Chelsea, the man born in Kinshasa had a hand in developing the likes of Billy Gilmour and Conor Gallagher.

The former French midfielder says he’s open to new opportunities, adding that he’s been learning from great managers since he got into coaching.

His managerial resumé is a far cry from what the former Champions League, La Liga and FA Cup champion achieved as a player, with Makélélé winning just over 29% of his matches (25 of 86) as a head coach.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre