Football: There was a lot of fanfare about Thimphu FC hiring a former Italian football league coach before the Yanmar league began.

However, the excitement was short lived.

The first international coach to have been hired by a local football club left the country even before coaching a single game.

Italian coach, Fabio Lopez, is thought to have left as a result of not being able to adjust to local conditions, specifically the food.

Thimphu FC owner, Yiwang Pindarica said that the Italian had a difficult time adjusting with accommodation and the food in the country. “He was getting sick now and then,” she said.

Most of the players did not know the reason for his leaving, however, some of them said that he had not been happy with the food here.

The 42-year old Italian had only few days of training sessions with the club members in the country.

Thimphu FC was the first club to hire a foreign coach to train the squad. The club has also hired two foreign players, a Japanese midfielder and a Gambian defender who is playing in the league which started on April 4.