Ramon Diaz at Oxford United: the story of how the Argentine took charge of the League Two club
This was December 2004.
Oxford United, the 1986 League Cup winners, were in a slump, having dropped from the second tier to fourth since 1999 – and slipping down into League Two when owner Firoz Kassam sacked Graham Rix.
The club’s unpopular owner Kassam invited out-of-work manager Chris Turner to watch their 1–0 defeat to Swansea – and most people thought he was the new manager, including the Oxford Mail., external And some players.
But instead… “It was quite bizarre,” said former U’s striker Basham. “Five or six people came in in a line. They were all standing in front of us and none of them, except one translator, spoke a word of English.”
“All the players were left wide-eyed wondering, ‘Who are these guys?'” Goiron said.
They were Díaz, head coach Horacio Rodríguez, another coach Raul Markovic, Goiron, fitness trainer Pablo Fernández, doctor Raffaele Giulitti and translator Giuliano Iacoppi.
But wait, how did it get to this point? It all starts in Monaco – where Kassam and Goiron lived and Diaz, who played for the club, also had a house.
Kassam contacted Goiron, a friend of his who has worked as a football agent and consultant, for help in finding a manager and the Monegasque suggested Diaz – who had left River Plate in 2002.
It was widely reported at the time that Diaz was not being paid to become Oxford manager – and Kassam said he had “promised a stake in the club in return for success”.
But Goiran, speaking 20 years later, says that Kassam’s company Firoka, but not the club, instead paid consulting fees to Diaz and Goiran in Monaco.
And many have asked the question – why did a manager with five Argentinian titles and a Copa Libertadores come to League Two Oxford?
Goiron says it was part of a project to reach the Premier League in five years – but after a bitter ending, Diaz, now the Corinthians manager in Brazil, never dreamed of playing in England or even Europe again I did not work.
“When he first arrived, there were grand talks about redeveloping the stadium, putting a new stand behind the goal and taking us to the Premier League,” goalkeeper Tardif said.
