The proposal of Javier Milei of convert clubs into public limited companies unleashed a real wave: hundreds of clubs like Boca and River, and many of them from the province of Buenos Aires, from Temperley to Racing and from Independiente to JJ Urquizacame out publicly to oppose and claim their rights as civil associations.
Through social networks, Argentine soccer clubs expressed their repudiation of the policies advocated by the presidential candidate of La Libertad Avanza. Days ago, Milei said that she likes «the English model.» She added that «they’re not doing badly» and that they «have a terrible show.» As a result, the world of baseball abandoned its usual neutrality and, in some cases, the clubs even called to vote for the Unión por la Patria candidate Sergio Massa.
The first was Guillermo Brown from Puerto Madryn. «The crusader», at the close of his statement, signed: «We support Sergio Massa. Argentina Yes, #MileiNo.» Then, the repudiation of the corporations was supported by clubs from the province of Buenos Aires such as JJ Urquiza, Tristán Suárez, Almagro, Brown de Adrogué, Almirante Brown, Quilmes, Estudiantes de Caseros, Comunicaciones, Morón, Defensores Unidos de Zárate, Villa San Carlos, Acassuso, Laferrere, Flandria, Argentino de Quilmes, among others.
The clubs of the Province join nothing less than the pronouncements of important institutions such as Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo de Almagro.
As he was able to find out BuenosAires/12in the kitchen of the Argentine Football Association «there was no indication or drop in line» that motivated such a wave of repudiation.
Managers consulted by this newspaper indicated that «it was a contagion effect among the clubs,» which, upon seeing the massiveness of their peers’ exhibitions, «chose to take sides.»
One of the most particular cases was that of Independiente de Avellaneda. The «red», led by leaders of the bullrichista PRO such as Néstor Grindetti and Cristian Ritondo, issued a statement in which they indicated that «the board of directors (…) is convinced that our club has to continue being a civil association without of profit», and that, as the statute indicates, «we will never resign to that figure. They sentenced him with the hashtag «#NoALasSAD.» No to sports corporations.
The institutions reacted in this way to oppose privatization and the model that Mauricio Macri always wanted to impose. And the clubs also emphasized defending their role in social support and construction of identities, values and emblems.
As they have their own statute, no one can force a club to be sold, but the reduction of the State that LLA proposes directly complicates the teams, especially in promotion football. There is legislation that indicates that clubs are exempt from paying workers’ social charges. If this rule were repealed, that amount would represent half of the current budget of any institution.