Argentine FA Normalization Committee Chair Armando Pérez addressed the situation surrounding the AFA, including the decision by second division execs "not to start the upcoming season," in a Q&A, according to Gastañaga & Avellaneda of CLARÍN. Excerpts from the interview are below.
Q: Will the season kick off?
Armando Pérez: I believe that the directors have to have the maturity necessary to not produce another blow of this type. And if they do not start the season, they will pay the consequences.
Q: That sounds threatening.
Pérez: But we have facilitated everything for them. We made an effort to be paid an applied increment on top of the 1.8 billion Argentine pesos ($121M), which we will distribute based on who complies and who does not. And those that do not comply will have to say how they are going to put their accounts in order. ... Also, we got 35 million Argentine pesos ($2.35M) from the Torneos contracts ... And they tell me they do not want to play?
Q: Is this a whim?
Pérez: No, they want the Normalization Committee to jump in the air and for there to be elections tomorrow morning. And it is not going to happen.
Q: Have you spoken to Argentine Players' Association (FAA) Secretary Sergio Marchi? What did he say to you?
Pérez: He has a desire to fix everything. We are going to talk. But we did everything for the second division (CLARÍN, 8/22).
