Paolini, Angelici's former deputy, confirms 2027 Boca bid | OneFootball

Juan Román Riquelme is in the third year of his presidency as Boca gets off to a strong start in its return to the Copa Libertadores and gradually settles into Zone A of the Apertura Tournament. The club’s political life never stops, and in recent hours it was confirmed that Horacio Paolini, a longtime member of previous executive committees, will run as a candidate in 2027.

Second vice president during Daniel Angelici’s administration and a man close to Mauricio Macri’s inner circle, the businessman devoted to the logistics sector announced his candidacy. “It’s time to decide the club’s future together,” he said, almost as a slogan with more than a year and a half still to go before the next election.

Although for now he has not clarified through which group he will seek to reach the presidency (the only certainty is that it will not be through the ruling party), for now his statement is only preliminary, since the official registries have not yet opened. The truth is that he is the first name in the Boca world to officially enter the presidential race. During this time he has shown himself to be very close to Mario Pergolini (Jorge Ameal’s vice president, who resigned due to differences with the leadership) and over the summer he had meetings with Martín Palermo, whom, they believe, he will try to involve in the campaign.

At odds with Riquelme’s way of managing, whom he criticizes subtly, he believes the current president is in “a stage of political wear and tear,” and assessed: “Added to the ups and downs on the sporting side is a leadership that is increasingly closed off, personalistic, and struggling to broaden consensus, even within its own ranks. Epic narratives are no longer enough to keep things in order, and the discontent, silent but persistent, is beginning to seep into sectors that have historically been loyal.”

“Boca belongs to its people. It is time to open a new stage where every member has a voice in the most important decisions,” Paolini said. He then made his position clear regarding one of the most recurring topics among fans: La Bombonera. “We cannot make a decision of this magnitude without consulting the members. We want every fan to be able to choose between expanding, renovating, or building a new stadium. Boca’s identity is respected by listening to its people,” he said.

Although Paolini is not yet officially a candidate, and neither is Román, he is already presenting himself as an opposition alternative, though not necessarily under Macri’s political banner. Those around him say that the member’s constant participation in the day-to-day life of the Boca universe will be one of the strong points of his proposal, from what to do with La Bombonera to how to move forward with the club’s management.

On the football side, the businessman acknowledges that the squad must be upgraded, the search for reinforcements professionalized through scouting, and a coaching staff selected in line with the club’s history and style. “Boca has to become a protagonist again in Argentina and in the world, with a competitive team and professional football leadership,” he said.

With investments in Boca Predio as part of a youth policy, Paolini says the club must strongly back its young players. “Boca’s future lies in its youth academy players. We want to support them not only as footballers, but also as people,” he said. And he concluded: “We are going to build a modern, participatory, and winning Boca, where the members feel like protagonists again.”

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