Nadal family in soccer bust up

Barcelona - The family of tennis star Rafael Nadal is leaving Spanish club Mallorca's executive board because it is unhappy with the departure of Michael Laudrup as coach.

"There is an important crisis in the club because there are members of the board who do not agree with the manner in which (Mallorca vice president) Lorenzo Serra Ferrer is managing the club," Mallorca spokesman Jordi Jimenez told The Associated Press on Monday.

The Nadal family released a statement on Monday saying that their representative, Fernando Martos, was abandoning the Spanish football club's board due to a conflict of interest because Miguel Angel Nadal, a former Spain international and uncle of Rafael Nadal, took over as caretaker coach last weekend.

But Jimenez said that the conflict of interest was only the Nadals' "formal argument" for leaving the board.

"Just a week ago Rafa Nadal made some critical statements about the handling of Laudrup's exit, saying it gave the club a bad image," Jimenez said.

Rafael Nadal also said last week that he would have liked "for Laudrup to have continued."

Laudrup left the club after a spat with Serra Ferrer. According to Jimenez, the club is in internal turmoil surrounding Serra Ferrer, who coached Mallorca for various seasons before stints at Barcelona and Real Betis.

He said that Serra Ferrer's attempt to sign former Athletic Bilbao coach Joaquin Caparros as Laudrup's replacement has also caused friction at the financially troubled club.

Mallorca is one of several of Spain's topflight clubs that has had to seek bankruptcy protection in recent years. A court-appointed board of administrators has to approve any signings.

"The administrators have told Serra Ferrer that he has to speak to them first before trying to sign Caparros," Jimenez said, adding that it would be "unlikely" they would agree because "Serra Ferrer offered Caparros double the salary of Laudrup, about €1.4 million ($1.86 million)."

Last week, Laudrup left the club at the beginning of his second season saying, "Mallorca will be whatever Serra Ferrer wants it to be. It cannot be that every day I go home frustrated and angry."

Jimenez said that the Nadals had not indicated whether they were selling their 10 percent stake in the club. He also said that Miguel Angel Nadal will continue to coach the team since the club has not yet hired a replacement for Laudrup.

Miguel Angel Nadal led the 10th-place Mallorca to a 2-2 draw at Osasuna on Saturday in the Spanish league.