Vélez Sarsfield heads to the polls on Sunday, 15 November, to elect a new president, and opposition candidate Juan Cruz Montero has come out swinging. The 34-year-old lawyer, who leads the ADN Azul y Blanco group, the newest faction within the club, argues that Vélez cannot survive unless its economic model changes. He describes the latest financial statement as the worst in the club’s last 50 years.
A club in financial trouble
Montero, who holds a master’s degree in administrative law and an MBA, left his job as a public official at PAMI to focus on the campaign. He says the club owes around 44 million dollars and runs an annual operating deficit of 24,000 million pesos, while its net equity has fallen by 32%. In his view, Vélez is heading towards the financial situation of clubs such as Independiente or San Lorenzo if nothing changes.
Of the total liabilities, he says 31 million dollars falls due within the next twelve months, making liquidity the most urgent problem. His plan includes renegotiating roughly 15 million dollars owed to financial institutions, among them a major state-owned bank, and securing a new loan to pay off existing high-interest debt and gain a grace period.
Looking for new income
Montero points out that Vélez currently receives only about 6 million dollars from more than 60 sponsors, a figure he believes could rise to 10 million in the first year. He also highlights that around 30% of membership fees are unpaid, and his target is to recover at least 10% of that arrears figure, which he estimates would bring in an additional 2.5 million dollars. The club is also exploring naming rights for the José Amalfitani stadium with an entertainment production company, a deal he believes could generate another 2 million dollars.
Blaming the transfer policy
The candidate places much of the blame on poor administration and constant improvisation, particularly in the transfer market. He cites the departure of promising youngsters such as Alejo Sarco as free agents, and the sales of Thiago Fernández and Mateo Pellegrino, which he considers badly handled. The sale of Tobías Andrada to River Plate is his most striking example: the striker now carries a release clause of 100 million dollars, yet Vélez let him go for a fraction of that, he says, in order to meet urgent financial obligations.
Montero also criticises the terms agreed with River, including pre-emption rights over two academy players who never made their first-team debuts. He says the current leadership, headed by Fabián Berlanga and Nelson Pugliese, has failed to see River and Boca as direct rivals, even though Vélez should compete with them at the highest level.
Retaining youth talent and a new sporting structure
His proposal for keeping young players is to start negotiations at least 18 months before their contracts expire, involving the family, the agent and the player himself, so that the club is rewarded for developing them. To run this project he has named Héctor Coyo Almandoz as sporting director, a figure he describes as a champion in America and the world who understands what it means to wear the Vélez shirt. Coyo would oversee everything from the youngest divisions to the first team, with a clear playing style and a stronger sense of belonging.
Attacks on the current leadership
Montero is also highly critical of Berlanga’s relationship with AFA president Claudio Tapia, which he says has harmed Vélez over the past three years. He argues that the club has lost respect within the Argentine federation and that it must return to its historic tradition of defending its own interests firmly. Vélez, he reminds voters, is a world champion club whose success was built on youth development, with 70% of its players coming through the academy.
Source: www.lanacion.com.ar
