Fabián Bustos on his Millonarios exit two days before the derby: "The decisions are always business decisions first"

Two days before Bogotá's hottest derby, Millonarios decided to change coaches. And Fabián Bustos wasn't even given an explanation that added up. That's how he told it himself, no filter, after an exit that came right in the buildup to the match against Santa Fe, which ultimately ended 3-1 in favor of the "Leon," with the Millonarios squad still processing the emotional blow of losing their coach midweek.

The replacement is already confirmed: Alberto Gamero is returning to a club he knows inside and out. But for Bustos, the problem was never about who came next, it was about the timing and the way the decision was made.

I haven't found reasons, I don't understand it. I do know we weren't playing all that well. We were getting results, Millonarios can't go another season without being in the top eight, and we needed to be near the top.Fabián Bustos

The Argentine went further, walking through almost minute by minute how he found out he was no longer the coach. He described a normal training morning, with Ariel Michaloutsos present at the session, and how everything sped up from there: word that Gustavo Serpa would not continue coaching against Santa Fe hit like a bucket of cold water, even for his own coaching staff. Later, Enrique Camacho showed up to address it directly, and after the match had already been played and lost, there was an apology call about how it had been handled.

"The decisions are always business decisions first"

Bustos doesn't dispute that there were things to improve on the field. What he questions is the reasoning behind the change, on a team that, as he pointed out, had earned around 60% of the points available and had gone through a preseason working on tactical variations between back lines of three, four and five defenders.

It was handled very poorly, like other things. The club is a beautiful institution, very well run financially, but the decisions are always business decisions before they're soccer decisions. I've been in the game for many years, we've reached many finals, and I've never had something like this happen to me.Fabián Bustos

For the coach, the derby loss wasn't decided on the field but days earlier, as soon as news of his departure leaked out. He describes a squad that was emotionally shaken, something that in soccer carries as much weight as any tactical adjustment. And while he fully clears Gamero of any responsibility in the situation, calling him a "great professional," he does note that he turned down offers from big clubs in Ecuador, Peru and Chile to honor his commitment to Millonarios until the season's goal was met.

Is it enough to rack up points if the decisions get made off the field? Bustos believes Millonarios will keep competing near the top with Gamero in charge, but he leaves a deeper criticism hanging in the air: the sense that at this club, beyond results on the pitch, other factors unrelated to soccer end up carrying the most weight.