José María Muñoz and Kike Pérez took the floor in La Rosaleda press room to try to explain the “disaster” that has led Málaga CF out of professional football. In an appearance that lasted more than two hours, the judicial administrator was the first to speak and assumed full “responsibility” for the relegation of the blue and white club: “First of all, apologize. The responsibility is mine. The planning has been a disaster, the players have not lived up to expectations. When we talk about the sports field, it is everything that affects the first team. There hasn’t been the right information at certain times.”
The judicial administrator of Málaga CF explained that they are already working on a profound restructuring of the club, although, despite being asked repeatedly, he did not want to go into details and called for the next few weeks to find out more about the plan to be executed. . “The club has to have a major restructuring. This process has already started and we are working on it. I want to thank the support, even with little hope of permanence. I can’t give many details of the restructuring. It will be wide. It will be dealt with in the coming weeks. We cannot go into aspects that enter labor issues. It affects many parcels. A fairly solvent sports director has been hired,” said José María.
José María considers the word “failure” “very strong” to characterize what has happened this season with Málaga CF. As is well. “It’s painful, it’s horrible, it’s a disaster. It’s my opinion,” he said. “The ERE is one more possibility to restructure a sports limited company. I was not informed of things at the right time, it was late. We have only seen a team for two months. There we believed that there was a possibility of permanence, all that joined,” he added.
On the other hand, he was questioned about his continuity in the club, José María assumes his part of the blame but announces that he will remain in office “as long as I have the confidence of your honor. “I have not made my position available. I have no political or institutional interest, nor ambition of any kind. I have been very happy with my office for 35 years. I can resign, but as long as I have the trust of the judge I will not do it”he added. Of course, the economic remuneration of his office will vary: “A reduction will be processed, he is already transferred. I have to set an example with the remuneration of my office.”
“I come with the same enthusiasm and desire to work. The one with the most responsibility is me. In 2020 the players did not want to come because they thought we were going to write to each other. For me the easy thing is to pick up and go. We often speak lightly of layoffs. Sometimes kicking out a lot of people is half a million euros. The dismissal must be justified. And the one who answers is me,” he explained.
He was also asked if someone within the club had submitted his resignation and he categorically denied it, in addition to throwing more than one dart at the squad: “I am not aware that anyone has presented it. The sports field has not worked, everything that affects the first team. Not only the sports director, in general. The proof is that we are in the First RFEF. There have been circumstances that have not favored us. We have descended on our own merits. We all thought there were good players, but there hasn’t been a team all year. Right now I can’t name people.”
ARE you in sight?
On this “restructuring” that is already underway, José María did not want to go into details. He avoided talking about ERE, although that word was mentioned on more than one occasion and everything indicates that it will be necessary. “I’m not talking about ERE, I’m talking about restructuring. In the next week there will be news. I can’t say anything about everything that affects restructuring. Kike Pérez and Loren have command in the square to make decisions, “he pointed out.
He was also asked on several occasions about specific mistakes at the helm of the club during these years and he was only clear on one occasion: “I don’t regret not having made any decision. Perhaps my main mistake could be not having named Kike much earlier.”
“I did not handle the correct information at the time that I should have handled it, I handled it too late. For almost two years my work has focused on saving Málaga, that the plan was fulfilled. We had to go through a narrow path and it was achieved. At the moment that I have freed myself from that burden of cleaning up the club, I have become more involved in the sporting task. I have participated more in the contracting of players, some negotiation was carried out by me directly. I took Kevin’s loan. Kike enters the business area and the sports area. There are things that affect the ERE, I will tell you at the time, “he expanded.