It’s possible that many Singaporeans have a special interest in the Spanish football club Valencia CF, since, after all, it’s been owned by Singaporean business magnate Peter Lim since 2014.

And, until very recently, Valencia’s president was another Singaporean—former diplomat Anil Murthy, who was appointed to head the club in 2017. But then a leaked audio recording of less than flattering remarks got Mr Murthy into trouble, and on Monday (May 30) Valencia announced in an official statement that with immediate effect, Mr Murthy would cease to be president and employee of the club.

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What did he say?

Earlier in May, Superdeporte, a sports newspaper based in Valencia, published audio recordings from a private dinner that Mr Murthy had attended in April.

In it, the former president described Liverpool and Newcastle as “s**t” cities.

He also threatened to “kill” Carlos Soler‘s reputation if the midfielder decides to leave Valencia CF next season on a free transfer.

The midfielder is one of Valencia’s club captains and has not yet signed a contract extension, though it ends in June of next year.

In Valencia’s statement, it said that Mr Murthy’s remarks had a negative effect on the club’s relationship with fans, but underlined that the former president’s statements were not shared by the club itself.

“The board hold the view that a change in leadership is required, in order to regain the trust of the fans and the community,” ESPN quotes the club as saying.

Netizens in Singapore had a lot to say about the issue.

Some commented that the former diplomat had been anything but diplomatic.

Screen Shot 2022 05 31 at 11.25.27 AM One commenter suggested that club owner Peter Lim might consider hiring a certain CEO who went viral with his “umbrage” remark last year.