The president of the Alaves you know you are facing a historic moment. Alfonso Fernández de Trocóniz is in charge of the entity on the day of Centenary and wants to consolidate it in the elite and even complete the remodeling of the stadium of Mendizorroza.
– I suppose it will be a pride to be the president of Alavés in the Centennial year, right?
-Yes, not all clubs can say that they have turned one hundred years old and, despite having gone through some extreme situations, even disappearance, here we are celebrating this special birthday. The pity is that we cannot do it with our people.
-The league clash against Madrid has been placed on that emblematic date.
-It will be a very special party against one of the best teams in the world. We want everything to go well. Our fans are the soul of the club and we always keep them in mind.
-What has been the direct impact of COVID in Alavés in economic terms?
-Speaking in net, about 1.5 million euros. We have done everything possible to get the numbers ahead by lowering expenses, reaching agreements with the staff and trying to optimize resources. This is the ninth year in a row that we feature numbers in black and not red. Despite the circumstances, we have succeeded.
-And the expansion of the Mendizorroza stadium?
-This will have to wait for the situation we are in, but we would like to start doing some works for the basic infrastructure.
-It is also committed to investments in clubs abroad.
-It is that in a few hundred kilometers there is a radius of four Primera clubs in addition to ours: Athletic, Real Sociedad, Eibar and Osasuna. Everyone tries to fish even in our province. We hold 85 per cent of the shares of a Croatian Premier club such as Istra. We also have an agreement with the Jakarta of Indonesia and the Kagoshima of Japan is at a standstill due to the pandemic.
– Did Machín leave you sad?
-Yes, on a personal level it is clear that he was a great guy. Also a good coach, but the results …
-Do you trust Abelardo to get the team out of the well?
-Yes, we have made a bet with the conviction that it can work.
In March there is a trial with Asier Garitano. Will that affect the club's coffers if the cause is lost?
-No, that is an item that is included in the budget expenses of last season. If we win the lawsuit, as we think it can happen, it will be an amount that immediately reverts to the entity. It is also true that the first sentence will be given in the Courts of Vitoria but then it can be appealed.