Neris: President said reject offers, end up mowing grass and running | OneFootball

The president told me that if I didn’t accept any offer, he would have me ‘cutting the grass’ and running around the pitch,” he said.

At 25 years old, José Neris finds it hard to look back at the promising past in which he shone, and at the future in which he will surely shine again. But this is not due to whim, but rather to his situation at Colón de Santa Fe, a historic club in Argentine football where the talented Uruguayan player has not been given any opportunity, and from which he has been sidelined for reasons unrelated to football.

Below, and exclusively for FútbolUy, is a summary of the interview with the former River Plate and Peñarol footballer.

A good number of Uruguayan football fans have followed your career, but are not aware of your current situation. What’s particular about it?

“I had already spent a nice stretch of my career at Colón, and the values my family instilled in me prevent me from sharing some details. I don’t think I’m the one who should bring them to light. However, I trust that the truth will come out. What I can’t avoid saying is that, since my loan with Torque ended on December 31, and since the purchase option at that club didn’t go through, Colón has been constantly pressuring me to leave the institution, using the excuse that they need to ‘recover what they invested’ in me. Therefore, I have to leave ‘no matter what’. That’s how they make it clear to me.”

Isn’t this a common practice in the football world?

“Yes, but the way it’s been handled has not only been painful, but extremely discriminatory and, I’d say, quite unusual. Of course, I’d like to leave the club, because nobody likes to stay where they’re treated so badly, but also because I think I could perform much better somewhere I’m valued as a footballer and, above all, as a human being. However, the options Colón brought me didn’t appeal to me, and not because I’m too demanding: all of them were loans, which would have forced me to extend my contract with the club for even longer. The pressure I received to accept those offers has been aggressive and constant. Anyone who reviews the president’s statements can see I’m not lying.”

How did that treatment continue? Did it not improve at any point or, at least, were you not given the chance for it to improve in your natural workplace?

“No. Everything has gone from bad to worse. Since I returned to training, I’ve spent more time in the directors’ offices having meetings than on the football field. They’ve told me it’s absurd that they have to pay my salary and I don’t accept the offers, they’ve brought me documents to sign while ignoring my representatives, and they’ve done everything possible to sideline me. To give you an idea, I only know Colón’s coaching staff by sight, same with my teammates. Sixteen new signings have joined a squad from which I’m totally isolated, I train alone, apart from my teammates, and it’s gotten to the point where not only am I not considered for official matches, but not even for friendlies. The president even told me that if I didn’t accept one of his offers, he’d have me ‘cutting the grass’ and running in circles around the pitch. Blaming me for the situation has been another sign of disrespect and lack of empathy from the directors. It seems like being professional and having principles is a sin.”

In the midst of such a distressing situation, how do you feel today?

“Very bad. Behind closed doors I suffer a lot, a good part of the fans have been convinced by these lies, I’ve received threats on the street and insults on social media, and the situation has become emotionally distressing and unsustainable. But being so alone in Santa Fe, and with my family so worried, I didn’t want to stop telling what’s really happening. Facing a situation like this is very tough emotionally. It’s also true that my loved ones and the company that represents me have helped lighten the load. Still, I live a suffocating reality that I try to overcome, also thanks to psychologists who specialize in these kinds of situations. Talking helps. But what helps the most is playing football. And I owe myself to two things: football and, also, the people.”

“The people of the club I’m at will always be my people. I hope they let me do that soon, wherever it may be.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.