"Where is the Champions League money?": Montilivi explodes against Girona's ownership

GironaAt dawn, with the sword of relegation to the Second Division deeply embedded in the souls of the Girona fans, a hundred white-and-red supporters still had the strength to await the protagonists' departure at the Montilivi esplanade. The mood of the majority wavered between rage and pain, but it had a common denominator: they wanted to see heads roll. We are not talking about the footballers, who, in general terms, are excused. We refer to those in charge. To the leaders who sit in the box. The shouts of "Board, resign" just after the match ended were significant. The Girona fans point to them as culprits of a disastrous outcome that could definitively change the history of the club.

“Where is the Champions League money?”, ask the members of a club that in two years has gone from touching the sky to falling into hell without quite knowing what schemes have been involved along the way. What is known is that the operations of buying and selling footballers have been ruinous, with players arriving at exorbitant prices who have had a disappointing performance. Girona has not only squandered a budget of over 113 million euros, but has also lost the opportunity to consolidate a stable project and strengthen a model that, until then, was working. Now it’s time to start from scratch.

Here appears the figure of Pere Guardiola, one of the club's owners, and involved in many of the operations that have been closed in recent seasons, due to his dual role as a football agent. Many of the fans who were crying watching their team fall into the mud shouted at him, minutes after a draw that confirmed their departure from the elite. They feel cheated because they consider that at Montilivi, business has been prioritized for individual benefit and not to enrich the entity. “We don’t even think about the category, all we want is for them to get out of Girona. They have ruined it”, indignant followers explained to ARA, speaking in the plural, because the one from Santpedor appears on the list, but there are more names. The CEO, Ignasi Mas-Bagà, is also in the spotlight. The gap between management and members is growing wider.

The other big loser of the night was Quique Cárcel. The sporting director is the one who must be held accountable for having the squad unfinished at the end of August, when La Liga had already started, despite the warning from last season, when Girona narrowly saved themselves from relegation–. Even Míchel, whose image is also greatly damaged for being complicit in accepting any situation, whether good or terrible, exploded in the face of a surreal start to the championship, with important last-minute transfers that were not covered or, directly, with the decision not to double all positions.

While the rest of the teams have competed for 38 matchdays, Girona has done so for much less time. And this burden has accompanied them throughout the season, accentuated in a final stretch where they have lacked a striker with a face and eyes, due to Vanat's injury and poor planning. The Gironins started the League getting 3 points out of 21, and have finished it by adding 4 out of 24, and only one victory in the last ten matchdays. The same streak that already condemned them in Eusebio's year.

"I have failed our people"

Players involved such as Arnau, Portu, Iván Martín, Stuani, Juan Carlos or Joel Roca were asking for forgiveness and crying inconsolably. Some even got out of the car and approached the fans, to share the grief together. Everyone was dejected. So was Míchel, whose contract is ending and will meet with the club in a few days to decide, together, whether he continues or leaves, even though everything indicates that his cycle has already run its course. “Now I have a very big emptiness inside because I feel responsible for something that hurts a lot of people. I have failed our people”, said the coach.

From the box, only president Delfí Geli spoke, late at night. “We will have to make tough and difficult decisions, but that is what we have to do. We are all responsible for what has happened, each with their part. It is not about pointing fingers at someone in particular: we have to admit our mistakes, rectify and find solutions. People have the right to protest because they are angry, but we are the same ones who took over the club a few years ago in a delicate situation. Our strength must be to try again and turn the current moment around”. It will be God and help.