Betis boss Mel reveals literary love
Reuters - Thursday 13 October 2011, 13:31
Real Betis coach Pepe Mel has an
unusual way of relaxing when he is not occupied with coaching
the La Liga side - writing mystery novels.
The 48-year-old presented his first book The Liar on
Thursday, which recounts the adventures of a millionaire
antiques collector who clashes with the Vatican while hunting
for stolen manuscripts.
"What I most love about writing is the process of preparing
for it," Mel, whose side play Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on
Saturday, told a news conference.
"The novel's plot reflects my passions, the everyday things
I like," he added.
"It helps me to relax and between pages I might think of a
way to stop [Real forward] Cristiano Ronaldo."
Mel said the novel, which will go on sale on October 19, had
taken him four or five years to complete and he was now working
on a book about 17th-century Spanish painter Velazquez.
"I never though I could write a book," he said. "It's
something I do in the free time football allows me. The only
thing I ask is that people have as much fun [reading it] as I
had writing it."
Promoted Betis made a fine start to the season on their
return to La Liga. The Seville club won their first four games
but have since slipped up in their last two and sit in seventh
place, two points behind pacesetters Barcelona and Levante.