Serna hits back at Lema, comments on Villa’s possible Boca return | OneFootball

Mauricio Serna distanced himself from Boca's politics after the dissolution of the Football Council, but he continues to closely follow the club's news. Especially the recent uproar caused by Cristian Lema's sharp criticism of the directors surrounding Juan Román Riquelme, who sidelined him for more than a year and didn't allow him to "leave on good terms."

After feeling affected by his statements, Chicho fiercely responded to the central defender who just hung up his boots. "Our role is to defend the club, you can't accept any player leaving for free. He tells it that way because it's his version."

Like in his days as a tough midfielder, he came out swinging: "Everyone attacks the president or the Council... How many of those players gave their all to stay? Where is the desire to fight for a place? That's not seen, it's not valued." And he concluded: "Did he fight to play more? Is that being professional?"

His statements reflect that, despite being removed from the day-to-day of the Xeneize, the Colombian icon still maintains a close relationship with Riquelme, whom he publicly supported again: "I am convinced of one thing, not everything turns out perfect. In a high percentage, the vast majority of things said are because the president is Riquelme. The persecution is evident. Román beat history, beat power. I repeat: not everything was done right, the vast majority of the qualifying inventions are made with malice."

When asked about the transfer market, Serna delved into several specific names. The first was Marino Hinestroza, who ended up at Vasco da Gama after the rough edges couldn't be smoothed between Atlético Nacional and Boca: "I wasn't surprised, I was very convinced that the transfer wouldn't happen. They used Boca to improve the player's contract, that's how I feel from the outside."

Also, after the negotiation fell through due to a problem detected in the medical examination and differences with Estudiantes, Chicho shared his view on the case of Edwuin Cetré: "I appreciate that Boca's medical team stopped the situation, if it was stopped, it wasn't just any nonsense." And he recalled: "There was a case a few years ago with (Andrés) Román, there are still people here who tell me that Boca's doctors are no good, but if they stopped it at the time, it was the best thing that could be done."

Finally, it was time to talk about another compatriot, possibly the one who generates the most mixed opinions and resentment in the Boca world: Sebastián Villa. Especially for flirting with River this summer. On this matter, the former interesting member of the Council was clear in a conversation with Boca de Selección: "If he returned to Boca and reached his level, people would reproach that issue. I don't know if he behaved well or badly, what I say is that Boca supported Villa in everything and more, Sebastián was dealing with a very delicate issue."

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