River presidential candidate slams Gallardo statue, calls it a jinx | OneFootball

I said it three years ago and people looked at me strangely: we made the mistake of erecting a statue for Gallardo. Not because he doesn't deserve it, but because, you see… First, there's doubt that it might not be bad luck…».

With just 47 days left until the presidential elections of River (November 1st), Luis Belli Príncipe, one of the opposition candidates, was very critical of the bronze tribute to the most successful coach in the club's history at the entrance of the Monumental. And when justifying his stance, one of the points he based it on was an abstract notion, suggesting it brings bad luck.

The statue of Muñeco was inaugurated on May 27, 2023 and 49 days later, the team led by Martín Demichelis became champions of the LPF, the club's last league title to date. It was the first of three titles River has won since then: adding the 2023 Champions Trophy (against Rosario Central) and the 2024 Argentine Super Cup (against Estudiantes).

In his opinion, it also involves the political aspect ahead of these elections: the promoter of the measure was Carlos Trillo, who came second in 2021 and will also run now. With Di Carlo as the candidate likely to win the elections, the contest is for being the first minority.

«Trillo did it because he is not opposition. If I want to put a sticker on a wall in River, do you know the mess they would make for me? Imagine putting up a statue. If I put up a statue, it's because the officialdom allows me, and if the officialdom allows me, it's because I'm not opposition,» said the 39-year-old economist, who had already been a candidate in the 2021 elections and in 2019 was the General Director of Burgos in Spain for seven months, when Antonio Caselli (now a candidate for first board member on his list) was the main shareholder.

However, the non-sporting aspect was not the only basis for Belli's criticism of the statue: «Then, fundamentally, you have to sit down to negotiate with a guy who has a statue at the door. How do you do it? Statues should be made after someone passes away or retires. At that time, I said that in two or three years Gallardo might come back and would enter through the parking lot and see his statue. How do you tell him you won't bring him a player? How do you tell him you won't sign off on nine million?» he said harshly, in a conversation with the streaming program Pelusa al Aire.

Belli will be one of the five candidates available to River members, who will vote for the first time using the electronic system: Stefano Di Carlo will run for the officialdom and the other opposition candidates will be the aforementioned Trillo, former referee Pablo Lunati, and Daniel Kiper, another historical figure in River's electoral life.

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