Iraola faces former assistant Perez in Champions League reunion

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 08:20 · Archive

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola will face Villarreal head coach Iñigo Pérez in the Champions League at Anfield, a reunion shaped by Brexit bureaucracy. The two Basque coaches have known each other for 22 years, lived in the same residency, studied at the same academy and played together. They worked side by side as manager and assistant before circumstances separated them.

When Iraola was hired by Bournemouth in 2023, Pérez was expected to follow as his assistant. However, Pérez applied to the Home Office for a work permit and was denied. A Football Association panel declared him incapable of contributing to English football, leaving him unable to work in England despite being in the country. Iraola expressed frustration at the decision, feeling for his friend as he remained in limbo.

Instead of becoming Iraola's number two, Pérez took his first managerial role at Villarreal at age 36. Iraola called him on his first day as head coach, offering support. Pérez said of the reunion: 'I'm looking forward to seeing him; we speak continuously, always there. To encounter each other pitchside is emotional. When the referee blows, it all ends, but it's a very nice story.'

How it is being reported

• Villarreal’s Iñigo Pérez ready to meet Iraola again in test of old bondRefused a work permit at Bournemouth, Pérez comes face to face with Liverpool’s head coach in Champions League On Iñigo Pérez’s first day as a head coach he took a call from Andoni Iraola, just as he had every day for months. They had known each other for 22 years, lived in the same residency, come through the same academy and played in the same team; they had worked side by side, manager and assistant, and embarked on an adventure together. Now, though, Pérez was having to go it alone. At 36, he had become what his friend thought he would be from the moment they met, just not so soon. “He…The Guardian · 20 Oct, 08:00
• How Brexit and circumstance set up ‘special game’ for Andoni Iraola and his former assistantInigo Perez previously worked with the Liverpool boss but was denied a working visa in England and will now take on his fellow Spaniard in the Champions League as Villarreal’s head coachIndependent Sport · 19 Oct, 19:25

In this story: Andoni Iraola · Iñigo Pérez · Liverpool · Villarreal · Anfield · Bournemouth · Athletic Club Bilbao

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem