David Aganzo (Leganés, 1981) has been president of AFE since November 2017 after replacing Luis Rubiales in office. Attends AS by phone after a week in which a former union worker accused him of bribery and in which a sector of the Spanish footballers asked for his resignation and supported the figure of Morientes to replace him.
How are you feeling after a hectic week?
Quiet above all. They have been very intense days, but we are already used to it. It seems that there are many people who do not understand that AFE must be independent. That has always been my goal and will remain so as long as I am the President.
Have you already concluded what happened and why?
I can think many things, but as long as I can't prove it, I have to be cautious. I think that our determination to be independent does not appeal to many. But we have no choice but to be a respected and authentic union. We only listen to the footballers, they rule. It seems that there are many hidden interests in managing AFEs for the benefit of others, and we will never allow that. For an area like sports, and specifically soccer, that independence is essential if we consider that unions are organizations of constitutional relevance. Its raison d'être must be to safeguard the interests of the workers.
Did the resignation ever arise?
Never, to understand that a resignation, if executed, must obey two questions: one, personal, and the other, in relation to the activity carried out by that person. And in both cases I understood that there was no cause to do it.
Have you spoken to the footballers who asked for his resignation through a letter?
Not in that specific case. But I did have conversations with men and women players, and they had neither news nor knowledge of that letter.
And have you spoken to Morientes? What do you think of your role in this story?
No, I haven't talked to him. He was a great footballer and he has the right to present himself, as it could not be otherwise, if he so chooses. Like other companions. Being completely honest, I was surprised by his rapid appearance, overnight, coinciding with the publication of a letter sent by an AFE employee.
This is not over yet. There is a motion in progress. Worried?
No, in our statutes the sharpened and sharpened have a mechanism for convening an Extraordinary Assembly where a change in the direction of AFE could be proposed. It is a process recognized by the statutes. And as always, all initiatives must be framed within our statutory legality. On the other hand, I have a very clear conscience and time will give me the reason with total security in relation to certain information that has appeared.
If the opposition to Aganzo, that 'Parallel Board' that has been organized since August, as revealed by AS, achieves 10% of the votes to call an Extraordinary Assembly that leads to elections, will Aganzo stand?
Yes, just like the team around me. We understand that there is a well-defined line of work and it must have continuity.
If you arrive in June 2021 as AFE President, will you stand for re-election or do you have enough?
It is a decision that will be considered, without a doubt, based on my personal commitment and the ability of a team to maintain the independence of this union.