Rafa Benitez confirmed he will leave Chelsea in the summer, while finally unleashing a tirade towards the fans who have made his life at Stamford Bridge uncomfortable to the say the least.
Speaking after the victory over Middlesbrough in the fifth round of the F.A. Cup, Benitez was not in a great mood after clearly being frustrated by another round of booing and targeting by a section of his own fans.
Benitez said he would indeed be leaving the club in the summer, but said the fans, who were so publicly against him, were doing their team absolutely no favors as Chelsea look to salvage something from an otherwise disappointing season.
"I have been in charge in football for 26 years," he said. "I have won the Champions League, won the FIFA Club World Cup, the F.A. Cup, the Italian Super Cup, the Spanish league twice, nine trophies, all the trophies you can win at club level.
"A group of fans, they are not doing any favors for the team when they are singing and wasting time preparing banners.
"It's because someone made a mistake. They put my title (as) 'interim manager,' and I will leave at the end of the season, so they don't need to waste time with me.
"They have to concentrate on supporting the team, that's what they have to do.
"In the end, they are not doing any favors to the club, to the rest of the fans and to the players.
"Every game they continue singing and they continue preparing banners, they are wasting time. What they have to do is support the team.
"If we cannot achieve what we expect to achieve, that is to be in the top four and be in the Champions League for next year, I will leave, they will stay in the Europa League."
Benitez was appointed "interim manager" in November after crowd favorite Roberto Di Matteo was fired by owner Roman Abramovich. The Spaniard was brought in not just to get Chelsea's season back on track, but also to get the best out of Fernando Torres.
However, Benitez has far from convinced since taking over, while Torres' form has not improved, and it had become increasingly clear he would not remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the season.
One of the prime contenders to take over is Jose Mourinho, who is rumored to have already agreed a deal with Abramovich to return in the summer.
