Football
ESPN staff 7y

Carlton Cole sacked by Persib in Indonesia for 'failing to perform'

Former England striker Carlton Cole was sacked by his Indonesian club Persib Bandung on Wednesday after failing to score during the 2017 season.

The ex-West Ham United front man was given limited opportunities, playing in only five matches, often as a substitute.

With his former Premier League rival Peter Odemwingie shining -- he's the equal top scorer with 13 goals for top-of-the-table Madura United -- patience has run out with the 33-year-old who joined at the start of the season along with ex-Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien.

"We have decided to let [Cole] go because he has failed to perform as expected," manager Umuh Muchtar told DPA.

"Maybe he was injured before joining but he wasn't honest about it."

Earlier in the week, Muchtar had elaborated on his issues with Cole.

"It's the management's decision to dismiss him, we will have a new player in the second round of the season," the Persib boss said, according to Sky Sports.

"He plays very badly compared to the other [foreign players] who have joined Persib. He had the worst performance."

Persib, 2014 Indonesian champions, are 14th on the Liga 1 table, with 21 points from 17 matches. 

Before his dismissal, Cole had lashed out on social media at Muchtar, and complained that he had not been treated fairly.

"I have only started two games out of, I think, 16 games, because he has not wanted to play me," Cole said.

"So I have come on three times and I have only started two games. Me and Michael Essien, we didn't have a preseason, so we have had to try and play catch up.

"We are in a bad position anyway, so he is just trying to point fingers, [rather than blame] his bad management."

According to reports, Cole's import spot could be taken by an unnamed Brazilian striker, playing in the second tier in Portugal.

^ Back to Top ^