Piterman relocated to Spain in 1991, immediately buying two
football clubs: amateurs Tossa Sport and
fourth division side
Palamós CF, with the latter promoting to the
third level under his ownership in 2002. Three years earlier he had been elected club president and had his firsthand at coaching in spite of not being qualified to do so. When criticised for wanting to manage the club despite a lack of experience and qualifications as such, he mentioned how
George W. Bush was allowed to be in office as
President of the United States. helping it return to the topflight in
his first season, with Cos now acting as
director of football. The American's spell in the
Basque Country was also a rocky one, with three coaches being used during the
2005–06 campaign, which ended in relegation, the dismissals occurring when the managers refused to accept his interferences and impositions. Clashes also occurred with the club's players and fans alike. Piterman left a debt in the Alavés of more than 25 million euros (35 million USD), and fled the country leaving the team on the verge of bankruptcy. The Cos/Piterman tandem appeared in 126 matches in
Spanish football, winning 63, drawing 29 and losing 34. In 2006, he purchased a
USL First Division franchise in
San Francisco, California, the
California Victory; it folded in one year, after he had already sold his stake of Alavés. ==References==