Luis Rubiales made a parenthesis in his confinement to give a conference in the Federation, which was offered telematically. The president announced an important package of measures and made himself available to the executive to help.
– When soccer returns, could it be played every other day?
-It is not feasible to play every 48 hours. We don't like playing fortune tellers and now is not the time to make calendars. We don't set a date to play again. The date is for this pandemic battle to be won. The guarantee is health. The president of AFE said in a meeting that they were willing to play every 48 hours, which surprised me a lot. So I have asked for a medical study. There is no need to squeeze the players. Those of us who have played football know that playing every 48 hours is inhumane. Players are not machines.
-If the seasons overlap, won't you lose a lot of money?
-There are two ways, try to start as it is and at all costs, which is not our option, or put health first. If we take part in the following season, we are going to lose money, and that is why we offer an economic plan that goes through a loan with the guarantee of the rights of professional clubs.
-Are you proposing to LaLiga to ask for a 500 million credit for professional football?
-The scenario of requesting a credit of five hundred million passes, effectively, by taking dates for the next season. Because we see it impossible to start in May. The UME is setting up hospitals, how will football return in May? Well the next scenario is to play past June. And if that causes economic damage, then we propose the credit. It is an option that we make available to LaLiga.
-Do you think the Championship can end?
-Our idea is that the season must end. The only way is to get to the end, whenever. We do not want to return at all costs, but right now we have to give the opportunity to the teams that are in decline that can go out, to those who are about to ascend, then give them the opportunity to climb … When the country recovers and we have guaranteed health will be the time to return, not before.
-Would you go back to closed doors?
-You have to respect all calendars, from that of the National Team or LaLiga to that of the youngest. Now is not the time to confront, it is time to reach agreements. If the Government authorizes to play behind closed doors, then we will do everything they tell us. But our option is to play with the public. But in the other case, what the clubs say will be done.
-What will happen to the Olympic players who are older in 2021?
-My thanks to Alejandro Blanco, president of the COE, with whom we have spoken about the Games. I transmitted to him that these JJ OO had to be suspended. It would be unfair if the footballers who come of age next year cannot play the Games. It is only fair that everyone who can play this year be respected for next year.
-What do you think of the ERTEs in football?
-The ERTEs are more a matter of employers and unions than of the Federation. In what I trust that what is done is with the maximum precision. The Federation complies with the income, and this is a difference with professional football, which lives a lot on television. What we have done in the RFEF that can be done in professional soccer is to advance money. We are going to look for a syndicated loan with the big banks in Spain and we are going to guarantee the rights of those clubs. This is what we have done, and I think it is the solution for professional football.
Could player contracts end beyond June 30?
-We are contemplating going beyond June 30 with player contracts. UEFA is in a way of thinking to ours. The first thing is health, and then finish the competitions. We plan to end the season as planned. You have to end with the same rules that you started with.
-What will happen to the Cup final?
-The Cup, both that of the King and that of the Queen, is to be played with the public. That is our idea, but we do not control all the factors. We do not know what the authorities will say, but we chose to play both finals with the public. Out of respect for all the teams that have participated, the finalists and their hobbies.
-What do you think of Infantino's proposal to cut the calendar?
-Infantino has asked for fewer matches and shorter competitions, and what he has said is there. What I say is that health comes first. You have to find a balance between the calendars of the clubs and the teams, because the players are not machines. We at the RFEF have freed days with the Copa del Rey. Among all, FIFA and UEFA, you have to work with leagues and clubs to find solutions.
-Is it time to make peace with Thebes?
– It is necessary to reduce the tensions and to try to add. I reach out (to Javier Tebas) to reach agreements. Neither my opinions nor I will change theirs, but it is time to add. It is time to look for solutions and be united.
– What do you think that in all the published polls Casillas wins?
-I'm not going to talk about elections, because I have all the focus on the coronavirus crisis. I respect the polls, but I am not talking about the elections. What worries me is the coronavirus.
-How are you following the confinement?
-I am living the pandemic alone, in my house and isolated. But with a lot of work and missing my daughters, who are with their mother in Valencia. It gets tough, and I remember my parents, my sister, and my friends a lot. But the only way to stop this virus is to isolate ourselves.
-What will happen if there are regrowths when the League starts again?
There are no answers to know what will happen when we return, if there are infections, if we have to repeat the quarantine in a team … all of this worries us a lot. So we have ordered a medical report. The statistics change every day, and now we are in a very bad moment, of growth of the pandemic. This now requires a lot of calm and a message of hope and unity.