María Tato: “We have known how to live with football and COVID-19”

Maria Tato (Bilbao) has had a more than complicated start as director of women's football at the RFEF, which she arrived in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis just four months ago. The Bilbao lawyer attends AS after having gone through a weekend of madness due to the storm, with the Super Cup in danger due to having several isolated teams in Madrid. After the snow came the calm, in which Tato values ​​everything that happened in this competition.

The Super Cup has resisted Filomena …

Yes (laughs). All good for now and with great games.

How are you living it?

Almería and Andalusia are behaving very well with us. I am very happy with this experience, which would not have been possible without Luis Rubiales' commitment. The president has been the great promoter of this women's Super Cup and that it is held in conjunction with the men's in time and place. Maybe it goes unnoticed, but I think this is very positive.

Even with the danger that they can be counterprogrammed?

I do not think they are counterprogrammed, except for a space in which the women's Classic overlapped with the men's press conferences. Within the range that we could program, I think it turned out well.

The Women's Classic opened the debate again: VAR, yes or no?

I am not ruling out VAR in the female at all and we will probably have to incorporate it. Anything to improve the game is well received, but we can't go that fast. We have come a long way and everything will be in the feminine.

Both this final and the previous one do not have a League or Cup champion, what do you think of the format?

That makes the Super Cup much more beautiful. Not being able to foresee anything before the meeting makes the magic greater.

How was the storm travel chaos managed?

If we can get through this, we can deal with everything now. It was very complicated. With the airport closing, all plans went awry, with two teams trapped in Madrid and another unable to travel. It was tremendous, but the teams have been very patient and we have reinvented ourselves well.

Barça complained about having to travel to Madrid despite the storm. What is your stance?

I understand them perfectly and they have my absolute empathy. But, this is not a feminine issue. The problems also affected LaLiga Santander. The stage beat us all. No one could foresee the magnitude. But we understand the inconvenience generated.

COVID-19 was added to the storm …

It has been a marathon weekend, working for 24 hours. We started Thursday with the first positives for COVID-19 and we continue with postponements due to snow. Every several hours there was a scan and then a crisis cabinet to evaluate everything.

Are you still optimistic about completing the League?

Yes. As of today we can finish the League. I don't want to end the coefficients. We have known how to coexist with football and COVID-19 in these months. Now we are facing a new situation, with alarming figures and we will have to see what happens.

And the Copa de la Reina this season? Still stands?

We have not considered any plan b or c because the calendar still gives us.

The final cup is still pending, set for February 13-14. Will the headquarters remain in La Rosaleda (Malaga)?

The date is certain, but the physical location has not been confirmed.

What role is the RFEF playing in this professionalization?

Everything that is improving the conditions of the players, obviously we understand that it is the common goal. Our position is very proactive and we have a very fluid relationship with the CSD. We have a common goal and that is why we all work hand in hand.

How is the fight to turn on television for all Primera Iberdrola matches?

We have not achieved all that we would like. I want all the games to be seen, but it couldn't be. What we have achieved is to establish a time slot so that they can be seen every Sunday at 12:00 open women's football (Teledeporte). If we generate that routine or that habit, nobody has to look for it or even find it by chance. This is progress, not a goal, it is part of a journey. I wish we could enjoy women's football on television, but this is in our goals.