Nicolás Russo hits out at Verón: Estudiantes say one thing, he another | OneFootball

Nicolás Russo, president of Lanús, took a jab at Juan Sebastián Verón, his counterpart at Estudiantes de La Plata, amid the conflicting reports and uproar in Argentine football over the title that the AFA awarded to Rosario Central for finishing first in the annual table.

Soon after the controversial recognition of the Canalla, the club from La Plata—represented at the meeting by Pascual Caiella—publicly expressed their opposition and claimed there was no vote. Quickly, Pablo Toviggino (treasurer of the Association and right-hand man to Tapia) and Matías Mariotto (president of Banfield) responded with their own accounts. They even showed the official minutes of the ceremony.

Now, Nicolás Russo—president of Lanús—took another swipe at Verón and also invited him to participate in the AFA Executive Committee. “I say that these decisions, as long as they are for the good of the clubs, must be accepted. All the clubs came out in support, except Estudiantes. The problem with Estudiantes… I have nothing against Verón and I’m friends with Caiella. It’s a problem that’s been going on for years,” he stated.

“I hadn’t been a club official for three years, but I said it before. Estudiantes votes one way in the Committee and Verón says another. Not just about this, but about issues that already happened during my previous tenure,” added the Lanús president in an interview with TyC Sports from Asunción, where the Granate will face Atlético Mineiro in the Copa Sudamericana final.

On another note, when asked if several clubs are “afraid,” he assured that he is not afraid and has even expressed his position on different occasions. “I raised it at the League meeting that we need to improve TV revenues. I think Verón should participate in the League meetings, come and speak there at the meeting,” he concluded.

Additionally, Russo explained how he found out about the recognition for the Canalla: “I was already in Paraguay, because we arrived on Wednesday. I spoke with Hernán Arboleya to attend the League meeting. As soon as that happened, Hernán stepped aside, called me, and asked what Lanús’s position was. Lanús’s position was to vote in favor. It wasn’t a coincidence. We are convinced that the role of the club official, of the fans, is very difficult.”

“It’s very hard to win in football and celebrate; there are few happy moments. This is the arrival of a tournament that rewards the one who did things best throughout the year. Without being champion, it’s true, but it rewarded the one who did things best during the year. It’s something for the future. We have another tournament to play and more chances for teams to win it,” he argued.

On another note, Russo mentioned other occasions when the rules were changed on the fly or new finals were created: “It happened in 2016, when we won the tournament at River’s stadium against San Lorenzo. Víctor Blanco, president of Racing, complained because he hadn’t been champion and the final between the two clubs couldn’t be played. He protested because it couldn’t be played. We played the Bicentennial Cup. We spoke with Segura, who was the president of AFA. He gave us the OK. It was voted on in the Committee and it was played. The Cup wasn’t scheduled.”

“This has happened several times in Argentine football. I understand it’s been done for the better. When the pandemic came, there were relegations. I was one of those who proposed and voted to suspend relegations. I think it was the right thing to do. The clubs would have faced very serious financial problems without income. With no relegations, they let go of the most expensive players and bet on the youngsters,” he argued.

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