Riquelme's dilemma: stay at Boca or enter politics with the PJ | OneFootball

The name of Juan Román Riquelme as a possible Peronist candidate, as Santiago Fioriti reported in his Clarín column, caused a stir deep inside Brandsen 805. A year and a half before the elections in which the president will try to remain at the helm of Boca, despite a management questioned for its collection of sporting failures, how likely is it that he will make a sharp turn and jump into provincial politics?

To begin with, it is necessary to understand the context of a party facing a shortage of figures and its own internal disputes ahead of the 2027 elections. While Governor Axel Kicillof and Máximo Kirchner cannot agree on forming a common front in their push against Javier Milei, a strategist from the Peronist think tank thought of the man who was the greatest xeneize idol and later became an executive to compete on hostile ground.

The original idea of anointing Claudio Tapia, whom they had polled after the World Cup triumph in Qatar, was ruled out. The image of the AFA boss, who has been indicted by the courts, is at its worst moment. In fact, he is insulted in almost every stadium. The exception is Barracas Central, whose stadium bears Chiqui’s name.

Riquelme has ties to politics. In 2012, when Sergio Massa was mayor of Tigre, he invited Román to the inauguration of a sports complex in Don Torcuato, the former playmaker’s hometown. The relationship flowed, and the former “Super Minister” even backed him in 2019, when he joined Jorge Amor Ameal on the ticket.

Today, now turned into an important player in Boca politics, he has some La Cámpora members on his Board of Directors. Among them is Santiago Carreras, who was YPF’s Institutional Affairs manager during Alberto Fernández’s government and now heads Boca’s press department. Asked by Clarín about the chances of the club president running in the regional elections, he said: “I’ve never heard anything about this.”

During the 2023 campaign, when Riquelme marched from Lezama Park to La Bombonera, he was accompanied by La Cámpora columns, promoted by Quilmes mayor Mayra Mendoza and then National Public Works Minister Gabriel Katopodis. Andrés Larroque, the Province’s Community Development Minister, referred to the issue when asked whether “Kicillofism” had considered Román. “I never heard it. In our space I never heard it. No, honestly no,” he replied.

The same source that floated Riquelme as an outsider to traditional politics told this newspaper that for him to be viable, the team has to start winning titles. “If it’s the Libertadores, even better,” they said. Right now, Boca is trying to secure qualification for the round of 16 in the tournament it has been chasing since 2007, when Román was a decisive player.

In any case, Riquelme is focused on his reelection and knows it will not be easy, unless he manages to lift the trophy on November 28 in Montevideo. On the other side, meanwhile, the directors seeking to compete next year are already beginning to move. The first to launch was José Beraldi, a former vice president who ran in the 2019 elections but did not do so in 2023.

Another one who is active also served as vice president. That is Horacio Paolini, who presented 12 key points to put Boca in order and has already held talks with Mario Pergolini and Jorge Reale. He crossed paths with the TV host at Franco Colapinto’s exhibition, and had a one-on-one meeting with the businessman from Mendoza at a downtown hotel. Next week, he invited them to the reopening of the Santa María Theater. People close to the crane magnate believe the best course is to join forces.

Meanwhile, on the streets near La Bombonera, blue-and-gold graffiti has already appeared with the phrase “Fran Quintana – President.” He is the Secretary of Justice of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, a former leader close to Mauricio Macri and Daniel Angelici.

Walter Klix, National Director of Chemical Precursors in the National Government, announced that he will launch his campaign after the World Cup. He was Beraldi’s campaign chief and is aligned with Patricia Bullrich. He was also the one who drove the complaint against Riquelme for fraudulent administration and submitted to federal court a pendrive containing videos, photographs, recordings and conversations, as well as records related to supporters’ clubs, branches, and tourism companies. There are even 100 witnesses who would testify before prosecutor Carlos Vasser.

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