Tracksuits banned and hotel walls torn out, John Toshack’s surreal Saint-Étienne stint | OneFootball

John Toshack’s three-month reign at Saint-Étienne was brief and bizarre, framed by the fake passports scandal and eventual relegation. According to L'Équipe, he quit for Real Sociedad on 2 January 2000, leaving without addressing his players on the morning of winter camp.

He arrived on 25 September 2000 after Robert Nouzaret’s sacking amid boardroom strife, with the team 16th, 20 goals conceded in 10 games and Aloisio out with a cruciate injury. This followed promotion and a sixth-place finish the previous season powered by a Brazilian strike duo.

The Welshman’s methods jarred. Tracksuits were banned in midwinter, Jérôme Alonzo was dropped after a 2-1 loss at Sedan, sessions were short, translation fell to Rudi Garcia and golf often beckoned. On the pitch he installed a back five with two holders, returning five wins, five defeats and two draws.

Signs of impermanence mounted, a packed Mercedes 4x4 outside the dressing room and hotel rooms reportedly knocked through to form a suite. He left the Verts 13th, before a seven-point deduction in mid-January for the passports case and legal turmoil sank the Garcia and Jean-Guy Wallemme pairing. Saint-Étienne returned to the top flight three years later.

The case, sparked by Lyon’s query over Portuguese papers for Alex and Aloisio, exposed forged EU documents for non-EU players, including Maksym Levytsky, Pablo Contreras and Faryd Mondragon, and also involved Metz, Monaco and Strasbourg. Gérard Soler received a two-year suspended sentence and a one-year sporting ban, and agent Edinho 18 months in jail.

Source: L'Équipe

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