Did Brett Angell step down from his Central Football position or was he given a shove?
For now, Angell will only say his departure was an emotional one.
Last season's Hawke's Bay United coach, Brett Angell, is no longer on the payroll of Central Football and was released from his job early last month.
Angell this week confirmed he had officially finished in the role of football development manager but was still in the throes of tying up a few loose ends with the amateur parent body in the catchment area.
"At the moment it's still ongoing and I've left but I can't say too much around that but there's still some ongoing elements that are still being [discussed]," said the Englishman who turns 51 on August 20.
It marks an end to an administrative role Angell had held with Central Football for a shade more than a decade during which time he had controversially assumed the mantle of the Thirsty Whale-sponsored Bay United franchise team in the summer of 2013-14. It had come at the expense of then incumbent mentor, Chris Greatholder, with the blessing of the governing body.
In a report circulated to its stakeholders, titled "Central Football Development Team changes", operations and game development officer Darren Mason, of Napier, says the changes have seen Angell "leave Central Football".
"We would like to thank Brett for his contribution to the player development space at Central Football and wish him well in his future endeavours," Mason had said in revealing a "new direction" in the quest of the federation's development team focusing on engaging with a wider cross-section of its stakeholders.
The report was posted on its website but a click yesterday prompted a message of: "Sorry. It's not you. It's us. We've been unable to process your request. We might be performing maintenance or you may have discovered an issue."
When contacted earlier this week Mason confirmed Angell's stint with them was over but declined to comment on any specifics or if the parent body was engaged in legal proceedings over contractual matters. He had referred the newspaper to its social media platform.
"I'm not going to make any more comments on that," he said.
Angell said he was looking at "potential options if they eventuate" outside the province.
"I've been involved in the industry since coming over 10 years ago and that's what ideally my skills sets need looking into to retain my involvement," he said, ruling out returning to his birth country right now.
The former EPL striker said he had bought land in Napier, which had thrown "a few things into confusion".
Asked if he had resigned from Central Football or whether he was given a push, Angell said it was an emotional exit, but he would not elaborate for now.
Angell had not re-applied for the position of Bay United head coach in May. Greatholder and Bill Robertson were appointed co-coaches to lead the team into the national summer league in the 2019-20 season.