89 days have passed since Paulino Rivero Baute (El Sauzal, February 11, 1952) became president of the CD Tenerife. Less than three months in which the former president of the Government of the Canary Islands has been busy and concerned about advancing on each and every one of the points that he promised on December 14, 2022, the day he became president of the institution. That day he assured that the objective of his mandate is to return the team, and the Island, to the First Division within five years. That goal remains unchanged, he affirms forcefully.
-What do you think that Luis Miguel Ramis has decided to stop the renewal process that the club proposed to him?
“Ramis is a magnificent coach. He has shown me. In Tenerife he has played a great role and, in addition, he is a better person. I feel very comfortable with his work and with him. Whoever has stopped his renewal, or understands that this is not the time to talk about his renewal, seems reasonable to me. That seems as reasonable to me as reasonable it seems to me that the sports management of Tenerife considered that this is a matter that has to be resolved in a reasonable time. April is a reasonable time to resolve this issue. I say this because both the professionals and the entity have to know if they continue working together or not, in order to have alternatives for the future”.
-Do you see the coach more outside than inside the entity?
“I see him delivered, committed and concerned about finding the key to improve the team. We will wait and see what happens.”
-I understand, therefore, that Tenerife is not probing the market for coaches.
“I don’t see any team in Spain that is talking about transfers. If they are doing it, it is not said. The transfer market is not broadcast or broadcast live. We all know how this works and we are at the time of discreet work. Work is underway and when things are finalized it will be reported”.
-If the end of the season is as sad as the game on Friday, will Ramis’ renewal offer be withdrawn or will it be maintained?
“We cannot qualify the work of a coach for one match, or two, or three. Ramis arrived at Tenerife in a very complex situation, he saved the team and last year we had an extraordinary season. We only have to regret not being in the top two, because we had options to achieve it. And we are at the end of the season in which there is still a lot of ground to try to turn things around.
-And sports director is being sought?
“This line is being worked on and the sports advisor has already said so on several occasions. People from the sports area have cast the networks on people who understand that they are valid for our project and are waiting for a response. As we said with the subject of the renewal of the coach, all this takes time and April also seems like a reasonable month to resolve this”.
-When you became president of the club, you made an ambitious speech and marked an exciting date on the calendar. Do you keep that goal?
“The date remains absolutely intact. The goal is for the team to regain prominence and compete in the First Division in the next five years. Soccer is a sport that is subject to a lot of imponderables. In this, a guarantee cannot be extended to guarantee that it will be like this, but let no one doubt that we are going to fight to achieve it. We are already on the path to having a much more solid, stronger entity, closer to society and well supported, since the objective is also to have conditions that allow sustaining a category that I believe Tenerife has to aspire to ” .
-Since you have begun to take stock of what you have in management, continue.
“We are working with great intensity from the outset and on all the sides that we had mentioned. It is measurable that public attendance at the Heliodoro has improved, as we have said. We have said that we would approach what we consider to be fundamental pieces of dynamization for the fans, which are the supporters’ clubs. We are working with them on several projects. We have said that we are going to recover respect for our history and our past with our veterans. And we also said that we would improve the facilities. We have a line of work open with the Tenerife Football Federation to improve El Mundialito. We aspire to improve this facility and we are going to commission a preliminary project for the rearrangement of this space so that the interests of the Federation, which is the owner of this space, and Tenerife can coexist. We need that field, despite having the Sports City. And I leave for last what is a priority for me, which is the renovation and conditioning of the stadium bathrooms, the visiting changing room and the third changing room, all the interior facilities, etc. This is of the highest priority nature. The facilities are not up to par with an island like Tenerife, and I am no longer talking about one like CD Tenerife. We have held several meetings with the Cabildo, which has informed us that they are in the process of updating the prices of a project that was to reform the bathrooms and the president has guaranteed me that throughout this month to contest those works. All these issues are priorities.”
-Although you are not in the syndicate, how is the health of that pact between the maximum shareholders of the entity?
“I don’t like rumor mill, but rather pragmatism and the reality is that there is solid institutional stability in Tenerife, both in the management of the entity and I think there is also in the shareholding. We represent more than 34,000 shareholders who are the bases on which this entity is based. I believe that the syndicate is marching as scheduled”.
-If there is that unity and that solidity that you comment on, why are there movements of businessmen on the Island that are monopolizing shares, it is not clear with what intention?
“That is legal. The world of football has become what it has become. Teams are companies and have shares that are bought and sold. There are people who want to buy them and people who want to sell them. That is a legitimate market. At this time, the entity is not affected by any of these purchase and sale actions.
-How do you assess the legal outcome of Miguel Concepción this week?
“There is maximum respect for judicial decisions. Furthermore, this case has nothing to do with the very good work that Miguel Concepción has done at the institution for 17 years.”
