Bocca: the secret plot of Ibarra’s departure and when the first talks with Martino took place

The phrase, words more words less, corresponds to Juan Román Riquelme. Her colleagues from the Football Council, Raúl Cascini, Marcelo Delgado and Mauricio Serna listened to her. The vice-president idol, who was preparing to take a flight to Madrid to attend Villarreal’s centenary, had already decided to sack Hugo Ibarra. Also, who was his favorite to succeed his friend: Gerardo Martino.

It’s more, even if it has emerged in these hours that last night there was the first contact with the Pope, there was already a poll last week. Of course, Rosario’s strategist made it clear that there was no way he would sit down and negotiate while a colleague was working. The coach, who has led the Argentine, Paraguayan and Mexican national teams, agreed to listen. It seems difficult for him to speculate against Monagas on Thursday in Venezuela. It is more probable that he will make his presentation in Colombo at the Bombonera. Until, of course, the talks materialize. His technical staff has already landed in Argentina. Behind it is José Pekerman, one of Román’s fathers of football.

There is a sentence that helps to understand why Riquelme decided to fire his ex partner, with whom he has an excellent relationship and which explains why he didn’t send his staff to a service station to resolve the matter as happened with Sebastián Battle. Ibarra himself said it in Chaco, shortly after his last match, the victory against Olimpo (2-1) for the Argentina Cup: “This is a political year”.

It is true that Román is thinking about December and the elections which promise to be hot. Because beyond the fact that he has repeatedly stated that he would win “85 to 15”, he has made noise inside the announcement that Mauricio Macri will leave the national scene and will compete in the internal Xeneize. The former president, as he was able to find out clarion, considers being the leader of the opposition. And he would communicate it shortly before the closing of the paycheck. Today he supports Andrés Ibarra, who was secretary during his management at the club and was in charge of the Ministry of Modernization in the government of Cambiemos (now Juntos).

Román was clear that Ibarra, who hadn’t found a way around the team, didn’t guarantee him a great campaign. In fact, he had just lost two games in a row in the local tournament (against Banfield and Instituto), and there were two other situations that prompted him to cut the thread: the photo with Ref Di Zeo, who went viral in these hours, and the boos that spread at the Bombonera after the fall (3-2) against Cordoba.

In addition, there is an eloquent image. After La Gloria’s third goal, early in the second half, Román turned and walked out of the box. All an indication that the Ibarra cycle was over. Boca must be the protagonist in the Libertadores and Riquelme also requires the team to generate expectations to affirm his dream of staying another 20 years at the club, as he declared two weeks ago.

There is another detail: the players had already lost faith in Ibarra. And the last straw was that at the interval of the match against the Instituto, Leandro Gracián, one of Negro’s collaborators (the other is Roberto Pompei), gave the technical speech. The triple command was something that was not compliant. We need a coach who lowers the line, who generates respect. The footballers have made it known, who tend to look away when results are not given. Darío Benedetto’s statement after the victory against the Bahians was very clear. When asked about Ibarra’s future, he said “this is the decision of the leaders”. There was no backup.

Without the support of players or managers, even friends, Ibarra raised his voice, but his future was already decided in advance. The gesture they expected, a resignation, never came. And as Serna said last night when he stood up to the Ezeiza Training Center’s news guard, “we’re here to make decisions.”

He is the third manager to be devoured by the Football Council: Miguel Angel Russo, Battaglia and now Ibarra. Fans were already starting to be critical of football decisions. They made it known via social media and also, it is said, with disapproval in the field. Looking to give a coup, Riquelme will choose a consecrated coach. If he goes wrong, no one will say he brought in an inexperienced person. Players will be more exposed, therefore.