Colón: six months into Alonso's reign, Cartier's Radio Gol exclusive | 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 most, especially when you live in that somewhat competitive world with yourself, trying to overcome barriers and keep moving forward.”

And well, of course, being in the sporting position 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 carries you along, the force that drives 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 in the squad as well. There is an interesting cohesion; nothing is achieved without cohesion, if there are clashes, if there is harshness, if there are responsibilities that are not shared. So all of that is also what binds things together, what gives peace of mind, right? That’s what you think, despite the fact that there are always setbacks, as in football, right? Setbacks that you recover from. What you have to keep is the perspective of where you’re going, and whether the train you’re on is heading to a good destination and whether the people in the carriage are joining you and enjoying the moment.”

“I think that’s part of the satisfaction, and I share what you say, that you imagine wanting to be there, but today it’s reality and we have to take great care of it, like glass, that’s how it is.”

As for meetings, for example, with Diego or with Ezequiel, we are always in constant communication about everything, we talk about everything and frankly about what each of us thinks. So when you ask me a question and say, “And what do you see as being wrong?” No, no, no, it would be improper and disrespectful to say something publicly about the coaching staff. 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, at a café table, eating with friends, that’s how it is. And the only real thing in football is when we all agree on one thing: listening. When everyone agrees, then yes, because that’s where reality is. Otherwise, it would just be a bit of what I think.

What I liked the 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 the most is that things responded to my idea of doing them quickly and with concrete solutions.

“Not getting into speculative analysis about what I’m going to do, what business I’ll do, 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 an economic standpoint, because Colón had to get out of that mess, out of that difficult situation it was in. And I think that is what I value most because it is the way I approach life, and well, in that respect I humbly believe we did well with that change. And the other question, what hurt me the most, was facing economic situations that were left to us after our administrations 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 player lawsuits, there were no coach lawsuits. 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 doesn’t 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 at some point you said it, that this self-mutilates... or don’t you think so?... Yes, it is self-destructive, it is self-destructive. I remember that phrase because you said it, and you’re absolutely right. Sometimes when confusion enters Colón, confusion because of results, because of this or that, the blame starts being spread around, that search as if trying to strike blows to see what can be discovered by pointing fingers, and people don’t think that the club has to move forward because there are always problems, there are always things, situations, but we have to cooperate. I think today I see the people’s cooperation as very positive. I truly congratulate them, thank them, and I have nothing but recognition, as always, for everything concerning Colón’s member-supporters, who have responded as they always do, with that unbreakable passion that sets them apart nationally and has been shown internationally. That helps a lot, and also, of course, their financial support by being members and keeping their dues up to date despite the economic difficulties that exist today. So I think that’s also what I liked most: the speed in solving problems. And what hurt me most is that sometimes we found ourselves with complex situations, and the club’s identity has to be respected despite the fact that there may have been some charitable activity at some point.”

There were many, many, many, and many that 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 shaken, right? For example, the effort we made with Nacho Lago.

“That effort has many implications, but that’s not the point. I’m happy because Nacho is with us and represents us the way he does, and he is a key person and a star off the field and on it. But I’m telling you about the situations that sometimes hit you like a slap and you have to get up again, still a little dizzy, straighten yourself out, get back up, and 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 and that bring economic imbalance, do you understand? Because sometimes you have expenses planned and ordered, and suddenly they lead you into a somewhat uncomfortable situation. Do you understand or not?”

“What is relevant is saying that if Nacho had become a free agent, we would have had to bear a multimillion cost in foreign currency, which would practically have meant financial collapse, right? And then everything we had done before 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, take on the commitment of updating his contract as he deserves and earned, so that he could be duly rewarded for everything he has done at Colón. And then there was this somewhat difficult situation, which was practically disastrous, I would say.”

“No, no, no, now I understand you. No, no, no. We are talking with Platense, and the problem with Platense is fundamentally not what they owe us—they have paid us a little bit of what they owe from the transfer fee—but rather the issue of the player’s sale. On that point we are in a clearly, absolutely legal position, handling it properly from the standpoint of claims, as it should be, right? Not just going out and saying anything. We are going to file a claim, and we are doing it properly, with a fully, let’s say, organized claim, that’s the term, right? Organized. You make a claim in an organized way, and that is the path. The other path is theatrics, going to the press saying, ‘you didn’t do this to me’ and I don’t know where that leads. I don’t do that. But I do have the arguments, and I do have the documentary backing and all the necessary documentation to prove what I want to prove, and with that we move forward, as we did with Neris.”

“The explanation is very simple, guys. Neris had to join us here on January 1 because his contract with City Torque ended on the 31st, and he did not show up. He appeared on the 26th. In the meantime, there were three formal telegrams from Colón telling him he had to report. He didn’t show up. He arrived here on the 26th, and by then the coach had already begun preseason with the whole squad. He said, ‘Look, you have to do separate work.’ Which was logical, understand? He had gone about a month and a half, almost two, without playing. And besides that, the fitness coach was assigned to give him instructions, and that’s when he started saying he had reasons, that we were mistreating him, that we were keeping him in the hotel—there in the hotel where he stayed until his situation was sorted out. The agent kept stirring things up, saying stupid and irresponsible things, as that person always has, known in Uruguay for that trait, because I spoke with people from River of Uruguay and they spoke very badly of him, and many Uruguayan directors I know as well. He was looking for his usual style, which is always to steal players away from the club. That’s always the style of these people. I mean the representative. So what happened? On the 16th he showed up with a notary, saying this and that, that they weren’t giving him this, that he was being treated badly, that they told him this. He spent 15 days claiming wages. I don’t know what wages, if he had shown up on the 26th in an improper, unlawful way, not doing what he was supposed to do. And then he left on February 16 without taking into account the federative rights. The federative rights, right? Beyond the economic side, with those sporting rights still in force. Neris is under them, Neris currently would still be under those sporting rights. What did they do? They went to Ecuador, and there they registered him with Emelec. And what did we do? Claim those federative rights, because this could not be done, and we sent a lot of documentation saying that we had even

spoken with Emelec so that we could sell him, and there are records of those conversations with Emelec’s directors. How can it be that a player who doesn’t show up, leaves whenever he wants, and on top of that does not respect the federative rights? We are facing a serious violation. Those are Colón’s arguments. And of course all the documentation was sent, and they were given, let’s say, the opportunity to respond on the 19th—which has already passed—and they did not respond, and now they asked for 10 more days. And from the moment that news reached Ecuador, that’s when you received the information about what was happening.”

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