Valdano to resign as Real sporting director

Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano said on Thursday that he would be stepping down from his post to allow Florentino Perez to plan for the future ahead of July's presidential elections.

"I think that it was important to take this decision and move to one side after four years of very intense activity inside the club," Valdano told Real Madrid Television.

"It will allow the president, who will soon be beginning a new four-year cycle in charge of the club, to have the freedom to take his own decisions. It seems the healthiest thing to do at the moment."

The former Argentine international, who took up the post when Perez was elected president, said his resignation would take effect from June 11, the day on which Perez has called an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club's members.

The meeting will approve the details for the election which is expected to be held one month later.

It is not yet clear if anyone will stand against Perez, although local businessman Carlos Gonzalez has said he plans to run as a candidate and former president Lorenzo Sanz has admitted he is considering doing the same.

Valdano's announcement completes a hectic week at Real and comes just three days after the club's decision to sack coach Carlos Queiroz and appoint former player Jose Antonio Camacho.

Valdano is widely recognised as the person who recommended Queiroz to Perez when the decision to sack former coach Vicente del Bosque was made at the end of last season.

Valdano, who has both played and coached at Real Madrid, said Camacho's arrival had nothing to do with his decision.

"I don't want to link my resignation with his (Camacho's) arrival. On the contrary, I am very sad to be leaving at this time because I am not going to be able to share this adventure with a friend."

Real ended a miserable season last week with a fifth league defeat in a row, a result that meant they finished fourth in the Primera Liga and will have to qualify for the group phase of the Champions League.

Valdano said he was proud of the work he had done over the past four years, during which the team has won two European Cups and two league titles, but admitted the team's spectacular loss of form had influenced his decision.

"I am happy with the club's achievements over the past four years and feel that I have been very loyal both to the person that brought me here and to Real Madrid," he said.

"But these last two months have taken their toll on me and I believe that people should assume their responsibilities and that is one off the reasons why I took this decision."

Valdano did not make it clear if he would be prepared to take up another post at the club in the future.