Alonso on ADN Gol: “Being in this position lets us dream” | OneFootball

José Alonso Cartier spoke with ADN Gol six months after taking over as president of Colón, enjoying the current form of the first team in the Primera Nacional, and he also highlighted the club’s current institutional situation.

“I think that, when it comes to ideals and personal ambitions, you always want the maximum, especially when you live in that somewhat competitive world with yourself, trying to break barriers and keep moving forward.”

And well, of course, being in the position Colón is in today from a sporting standpoint gives us a great deal of peace of mind and allows us to dream a little that we can achieve even more, and that dream is what keeps carrying you, the vector keeps carrying you toward where you want to go. So there is real satisfaction, but even more satisfying is having built an interactive human group, both in the professional staff that supports us today and also in the squad. There is interesting cohesion; nothing can be achieved without cohesion, if there are clashes, if there is harshness, if there are responsibilities that are not shared. So all of that is what binds things together, what brings peace of mind, right? That’s what one thinks, despite the fact that there are always setbacks, as there are in football, right? Setbacks and recoveries. What you have to keep is the perspective of where you’re headed, and whether the train you’re on is moving toward a good destination and the people in the carriage are going along with you and enjoying the moment.”

“I think that’s part of the satisfaction, and I share, as you say, that one imagines wanting to be there, but today it’s a reality and we have to take great care of it, like crystal. That’s how it is.”

“As for, for example, meetings with Diego or with Ezequiel, we are always, constantly in communication about everything, we talk about everything and very directly about what each of us thinks. So when someone asks me, ‘And what do you think is wrong?’ no, no, no, it would be inappropriate and disrespectful to say something about the coaching staff. To make public something that is private.

To make public something that is private. Because you all know that in Argentina we’re all coaches, we’re all players, we’re all directors at a café table, eating with friends, that’s how it is. And the only real thing football has is when we all agree on one single thing: to listen. When everyone gets on the same page, then yes, because that’s where reality is. Otherwise, it would just be a bit about what I think.

What I liked most is that I like to act quickly and decisively, and to do that you have to be analytical and know where you’re going. What I liked most is that things responded a little to my idea of doing them quickly and with concrete solutions.

“Not getting into speculative analysis of what I’m going to do, what business I’m going to pursue. No, no, no, making quick decisions, and I think it showed, I think it showed because we took over a club that, honestly, from an administrative and financial point of view, was devastated, and we had to take on commitments, as I just said, from the economic side, because Colón had to get out of that mess, out of that difficult situation it was in. And I think that’s what I value most because it’s part of the idiosyncrasy I have in the way I go through life, and well, in that regard I humbly believe we did well in that change. And the other question, what hurt me the most, was facing financial situations that were left to us after our management had been heavily criticized, when that wasn’t the case, because when we left Colón, Colón was in a good situation. It had no bank debt, no tax debt, no bounced checks, all the players were paid properly, there were no lawsuits from players, there were no lawsuits from coaches. In other words, we found a completely different picture from the one that had been left at that time. So that hurt me, it hurt me a lot, because we are all Colón people, we all make mistakes. Sometimes silence does not mean approval but respect, and above all respect for the institution. Colón needs shared energy, in good times and bad, as we all say at the stadium. That shared energy will help the club grow. If we start distorting things and tearing each other apart, I think once you said it becomes self-mutilating, or don’t you think so?... Yes, it’s self-destructive, it’s self-destructive. I remember that phrase because you said it, and you’re absolutely right. Sometimes when Colón falls into confusion—confusion over results, over this or that—that distribution of blame begins, that search as if people were striking blows to see what they can point out with a finger, and they don’t think that the club has to move forward because there are always problems, always things, situations, but we have to work together. I think today I see the people’s support as very positive. I truly congratulate them, thank them, and I can only acknowledge, as always, everything that has to do with Colón’s supporter-members, who have responded as they always do, with that unbreakable passion that distinguishes them nationally and has also been shown internationally. That helps a lot, and also, of course, their financial support by being members and keeping up with their membership dues despite the economic difficulties that exist today. So I think that what I liked most was the speed with which we were able to solve problems, and what hurt me most is that sometimes we found ourselves in complex situations, and the club’s identity has to be respected, even though there may at times have been some solidarity-based activity.”

There were many, many, many, and many of them throw you off balance in the moment. You’re doing well and suddenly an issue appears that upsets your working capital or your financial flow and leaves you a bit on shaky legs, right? For example, the effort we made with Nacho Lago.

“That effort has many implications, but that’s not the point right now. I’m happy because Nacho is with us and represents us brilliantly, as he does, and he is a key person and a star both on and off the pitch. But I’m telling you about situations that sometimes hit you like a slap and you have to get back up again, a little dazed, straighten yourself out a bit, get up, and act like nothing happened, because that’s what this is about, right? So those are the things that most affect you, those sudden situations you have to solve that create an economic imbalance, you understand? Because sometimes you have expenses organized, and suddenly they put you in a somewhat uncomfortable position. Does that make sense or not?”

“What is relevant to say is that if Nacho had become a free agent, we would have had to bear a multimillion-dollar cost in foreign currency, which would practically have meant bankruptcy for the club, right? And then everything we had done up to that point would have been nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing.”

“So first we had to try to correct the injustice committed against him through absurd, false, and deceitful promises. And second, of course, to take on the commitment of updating his contract, which is what he deserves and what he earned, so that he can rightfully feel rewarded for everything he has done at Colón. And then there was this somewhat difficult situation, which was practically on the verge of collapse, I would say.”

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