The highly regarded coach was dismissed on Wednesday in something of a shock following a reported disagreement with club owner Peter Lim.
Marcelino had been at Valencia for two seasons and guided them to back-to-back fourth-place finishes in La Liga, a feat many see as overachievement given the club's woes over the past decade.
On top of strong league campaigns, Marcelino also guided Valencia to their first piece of silverware in 11 years last term, beating Barcelona 2-1 to lift the Copa del Rey.
"I am absolutely sure that the trigger for this situation was the Copa del Rey," he told a news conference on Friday.
"During the season, we received direct and indirect messages that we had to discount it [the Copa]. The fans wanted to fight for it and the players too, and they had the conviction to win it. The coaching staff wanted to fight and win the Copa.
"They didn't tell me why they didn't want the Copa, only that it was a minor tournament and that I could be putting the main goal [Champions League qualification] at risk. Winning the Copa was the trigger for this situation.
"We did not receive congratulations in Seville [after the Copa final] from the owner [Lim]. When I went to Singapore [for a meeting with Lim and club president Anil Murthy], I was congratulated for qualifying for the Champions League, not for winning the Copa."
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