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

José Alonso Cartier spoke with ADN Gol six months after taking office as president of Colón, enjoying the first team’s current form in the Primera Nacional, and also highlighted the club’s current 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—trying, because we still are, 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 side and the financial side. They constantly brush against each other, and that’s what makes everything work. If those two circles don’t spin quickly, the rest gets complicated. That’s just how it is.”

“I think that, in terms of 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 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, the vector carries 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’s an interesting cohesion; nothing is achieved without cohesion—if there are clashes, if there is harshness, if there are responsibilities that aren’t shared. So all of that is also what brings things together, what gives peace of mind, right? That’s what one thinks, even though there are always setbacks, as in football, right? Ups and downs. 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 car with you are going along and enjoying the moment.”

“I think that’s a big part of the satisfaction, and I agree, as you say, that you imagine yourself 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 with Diego or Ezequiel, for example, we’re always in constant communication about everything, we talk about everything, and frankly about what each of us thinks. So when someone asks me, ‘And what do you see that’s wrong?’ no, no, no—it would be improper and disrespectful to say anything 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’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 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 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, to some extent, to my idea of doing things quickly and with concrete solutions.

“Not getting into prospective analyses of what I’m going to do, what business deal—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 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, 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 approach life. And well, in that regard, I humbly believe we did well with that change. And as for the other question—what hurt me the most—it was facing financial situations that were left to us after our previous managements had been heavily criticized, when that wasn’t the case. Because when we left Colón, the club was in a good situation: it had no bank debt, no tax debt, no bounced checks, all the players were fully paid, there were no lawsuits from players, no lawsuits from coaches. In other words, we found a completely different picture from the one we had left back then. 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, it means respect—and above all, respect for the institution. Colón needs shared energy, in good times and bad, as we all say in 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 turns into self-mutilation, or don’t you think so? Yes, it’s self-destructive, it’s self-destructive. I remember that phrase of yours, and you were 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 poking around to see what they can uncover with a finger, and they don’t think that the club has to move forward, because there are always problems, always situations, but we have to help. I think today I see the people’s support in a very positive way. I truly congratulate them, thank them, and I can only acknowledge, as has always been the case, everything that has to do with Colón’s member-supporters, who have responded as they always do, with that unbreakable passion that sets them apart 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 dues 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 the most is that sometimes we encountered complex situations, and the club’s identity has to be respected, even though there may at times have been some charitable 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 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 right now. I’m happy because Nacho is with us and represents us as he does, and he’s a key person and a star both on and off the field. But I’m telling you about the kinds of situations that sometimes hit you like a slap, and you have to get back up again, a little dazed. You straighten yourself out a bit, get back up, and nothing happened, because you have to keep your feet on the ground, right? So those are the things that affect you most—those sudden situations you have to solve that create financial imbalance, you know? Because sometimes you have expenditures planned and organized, and suddenly they put you in a somewhat uncomfortable situation. Does that make sense or not?”

“What is relevant, though, is saying 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 the club’s collapse, right? And then everything we had done before that would have been nothing—nothing, absolutely nothing.”

“So first we had to try to repair the injustice committed against him through absurd, false, and dishonest promises. And second, of course, to assume the commitment of updating his contract, which he deserves and earned, so that he can be duly rewarded for everything he has done at Colón. And then there was this somewhat difficult situation, which was practically ruinous, I would say.”

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