Statements
Sporting plan “With regards to investment, I haven’t mentioned a specific figure since last season. It’s just about the players, I can’t really say any more, as it depends on the individual player, and the figure might be slightly more or less, but we’re looking for the ideal players for each position. The important thing is that they fit in with the team”.
Objectives “It’s amazing to be amongst all these great teams, and now our objective is to remain up there with them. However we need to keep calm and focused. Luckily we’ve had the chance to create a great team, and now we need to concentrate on being strong contenders for the Champions League”.
Structure: “Before we do anything, we need to know exactly what the situation is. Firstly, we need to look at the structure of the team, the requirements and responsibilities, and then we’ll know more. I’ll assume the role of General Manager, which will be a great pleasure for me, until the position is filled permanently. I would like to thank everyone in the offices for all their hard work, as it’s also thanks to them that Málaga have been successful, they’ve been like the soldiers working behind the battle lines. I’m very happy with their work, we’re all like one big family here. We now need to focus on the organisation, and fill certain positions, and then we’ll be ready”.
Payment situation “We’re going to do everything possible to ensure this situation never happens again, as we cannot continue like this. It’s really my fault, and the way in which things were dealt with. We’ve spent 200 million euros in two seasons; we didn’t want to wait until the last minute to make these investments. A lot has happened this year, firstly, the organisation at the beginning of the season, which was probably my mistake. Secondly, we lost José Carlos (Pérez), who was one of the most important people at the Club. We tried to find a solution, and I’ve been involved with the day to day running of the Club since then. No football club in Spain has made such a big investment”.
Signings. “When you’re thinking about signing a superstar, the fact that they might not fit in with the team, is not a problem. Málaga already have a lot of superstar players in the team”.
Attacks on Málaga CF. “The truth is that we feel like we’re being attacked; we continue to dwell on what’s been happening. The only thing I know is that these attacks aren’t coming from here”.
La Academia: “I could say that the delay isn’t really affecting us, but we need to respect the procedure. Just because we want something, doesn’t mean it can happen. We need to be ready for what may happen in the future”.
Departure of Fernando Hierro. “Hierro was a very important person in the Club, and did a fantastic job. We’re sorry he’s not with the Club anymore, but everyone needs to be happy in their personal lives too. Sometimes it’s something as simple as if you don’t understand me, and I don’t understand you, we can’t continue to be together. I have every respect for him, he’s a true gentleman, a great football player, captain of Real Madrid…he did a lot of positive things for Málaga”.