Hugo Moyano himself had planted the seed of doubt about his new Independiente presidential candidacy last week. And certainty sprang up this Thursday afternoon when he announced at a board meeting that he will drop his candidacy in the elections that had been rescheduled for October 2. Nor will Héctor Maldonado appear, his right-hand man and secretary of the Avellaneda club.

Late last year, Moyano was about to seek his third term in Rosso and then extend his tenure which was eight years. But everything changed after the suspension of the elections. 2022 further eroded his image in Avellaneda. It is that political conflicts have been added to the economic and sporting crisis due to the lack of a date for the vote and a tiring tug-of-war with the opposition, mainly with the group that proposes Fabián Doman as leader.

The poor results of the team and the institutional disorder have filled the hearts of fans and members who have begun to express their discomfort and annoyance at the stadium on match days. The insults on the presidential box became more and more frequent, to the point that both Moyano and Maldonado had to leave guarded on some occasions. Already the last few games, the leader of the Truckers did not take the field.

The president and the secretary general remained the main targets of the people and the opposition. It is that they are the ones who made the most important decisions of the club, in most cases without consulting anyone else. In fact, Daniel Montenegro, who resigned from his position as sports advisor this week, clarified: “It’s difficult when the club is run by one or two people …”

The moment of greatest tension was experienced after the assembly last Friday at the headquarters of the Av. Miter, when Moyano and Maldonado had to wait to leave the club due to serious incidents between the fans and the police in the suburbs. They managed to leave in armored cars, with a strong security operation.

One day after the date of October 2 had been set for the postponed electoral act, the ruling party held a conclave on the Villa Domínico property. There the victims of both leaders of the red leadership were reported. And these victims are added to those of the candidates for the vice-presidency, Marcelo González and Manuela Sánchez. None of those present asked Moyano to review his decision. Everyone understood that it was in vain. What they did was make their resignations available as an accompanying gesture, but there will be no mass resignations on the list.

For now, as he learned Clarione, despite this, the ruling party will not lower its list, which means it will have to rearm and seek a new trinomial to compete with Doman and Claudio Rudecindo, the other opposition candidate. The name of Sergio Palazzo, current sports secretary of Independiente and general secretary of La Bancaria, the bankers union, is one that sounds like a possible official candidate. He was mentioned in the meeting on Thursday which was attended by more than 25 people.

Another playing was Baldomero Chub Alvarez, who was present. Alvarez was already a candidate in the 2011 elections and lost to Javier Cantero. We also heard the name of Gonzalo Campici, holder of the Escudo Seguros, who some time ago was sponsor on the chest of the team jersey. It is not excluded that another data will emerge in the next few hours.

This Friday afternoon a new top management meeting will be held at the Hotel Scala to define a new formula for the polls. But there is something that is already a fact: the Moyano cycle in the Devil has an expiration date.