Colón: six months into Alonso's tenure, Cartier on Radio Gol | OneFootball

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

“Sometimes when time doesn’t pass, it’s because not much is happening, and when it goes by very fast, it’s because a lot is happening. And I think that’s part of what we’ve had to deal with in these six months of intense work, trying—because we are still, let me be clear, trying—to turn around a complex situation from the point of view of the two most important concentric circles a football club has, especially in Colón’s case: the sporting circle and the economic one. They are constantly rubbing against each other, and that’s what makes everything work. If those two circles don’t spin fast, the rest gets complicated. That’s just how it is.”

“I think that when it comes to ideals and personal ambitions, you always want the most, 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 sporting situation Colón is in today gives us a lot 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 taking you where you want to go. So there is real satisfaction, but even more satisfying is having managed to build an interactive human group, both in the professional staff that today supports us and also in the squad. There is an interesting cohesion. Nothing is achieved without cohesion, if there are clashes, if there is tension, if there are responsibilities that are not shared. So all of that is what also binds things together, what gives peace of mind, right? That’s what one thinks, despite the fact that there are always ups and downs, as in football, right? Ups and downs, but what you have to keep is the perspective of where you’re going, and whether the train you’re on is heading toward a good destination and the people in the carriage are going with you and enjoying the moment.”

“I think that’s part of the satisfaction, and I agree, 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 glass. 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 openly about what each one thinks. So when someone asks me, ‘And what do you see that’s wrong?’ No, no, no, it would be inappropriate and disrespectful to say something about the coaches. To make public something that is private.

To make public something that is private. Because you know that in Argentina we are all coaches, we are all players, we are all directors, sitting at a café table, eating with friends, that’s how it is. And the only real thing football has is that when we all agree on one single thing, listening, when everyone agrees, then yes, because that’s where reality is, because otherwise it would just be a bit of 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 somewhat to the idea I had of doing things quickly and with concrete solutions.

“Not getting into prospective analysis about what I’m going to do, what business, no, no, no—making quick decisions, and I think it showed, I think it showed because we came into a club that, honestly, from an administrative and economic 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 the way I am, the way I go through life, and well, in that regard I humbly believe we did well in that change. And as for the other question, what hurt me the most was facing economic situations that were left to us after our previous management was 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 back then. 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 common energy, in the good and the bad, as we all say at the stadium. That shared energy is what will allow the club to grow. If we start distorting things and tearing each other apart, I think at some point you said it, that this self-mutilates, or does it seem to you… Yes, it’s self-destructive, it’s self-destructive. I remember that phrase because you said it, and you were absolutely right. Sometimes when confusion sets in at Colón—confusion because of results, because of this or that—that distribution of blame begins, that search as if throwing punches to see what can be uncovered by pointing fingers, and people don’t think that the club has to move forward because there are always problems, always things, situations, but we have to cooperate. I think that today I see the people’s cooperation as very positive. I truly congratulate them, thank them, and I have nothing but appreciation, as always, for everything having to do with Colón’s supporter-members, who have responded as they always do, with that unbreakable passion that makes them unique nationwide and that they have shown internationally. That helps a lot, and also, of course, their financial support by being members and keeping up with their membership fees despite the economic difficulties that exist today. So I think that’s also what I liked most: the speed with which we were able to solve problems. And what hurt me most is that sometimes we ran into situations that are complex, and the club’s identity has to be respected, even though there had at some point been some charitable activity.”

There were many, many, many, and many that throw you off balance in the moment. You’re doing well and then suddenly a problem appears that throws off your working capital or your financial flow and leaves you a bit on edge, right? For example, the effort we made with Nacho Lago.

“That effort has many implications, but well, that’s not the point. I’m happy because Nacho is with us and represents us with the leadership he shows, and he is a key person and a star both off and on the field. But I’m telling you about the situations that sometimes hit you like a slap and you have to get back up again, half dazed, straighten yourself out a bit, get up, and act like nothing happened, because this is rough ground, right? So those are the things that most affect you, those sudden situations you have to solve and that bring economic imbalance, you understand? Because sometimes you have expenses all organized, and suddenly they push you into a somewhat uncomfortable situation. Does that make sense or not?”

“What is worth mentioning is that if Nacho had become a free agent, we would have had to take on a multimillion cost in foreign currency, which would practically have meant bankruptcy, right? And then everything we had done before would have been nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing.”

“So first we had to try to repair the injustice committed against him through absurd, false, and lying promises. And second, of course, to assume the commitment of updating his contract, which corresponds to him and which he deserves and earned, so that he can rightfully feel recognized 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.