La Liga side Elche on Wednesday "presented its appeal against the investigation it faces for failing to meet" the Spanish Football League's (LFP) economic control regulations when it failed to pay its debt from the past year by March 31, according to M.H. Marcos of AS. This situation "leaves the LFP free to sanction Elche by preventing the club from signing players for next season." Local notary Francisco Tornel said that a ban on signing players would mean "sporting death" for the club. Tornel had tried to raise the €3M ($3.24M) the club owed, but failed. He worked this week "on two fronts." The first was trying to reduce the debt. His "second path was more important: trying to convince businessmen to contribute," but "many did not agree to collaborate and others who were expected to contribute withdrew their support" (AS, 4/23).
BORJA PULLS OUT: TELE ELX reported former Elche President Francisco Borja, "the leader of one of the alternative plans to ensure Elche's viability, announced that he is ending his 'personal involvement' in the future of the club." Despite this, the group of businessmen willing to "lend economic support has not dissolved" is now led by Tornel (TELE ELX, 4/22).
