May 18, 2024, 8:56 PM
May 18, 2024, 8:56 PM
After a long time in silence, Ronald Raldes appeared. The president of Oriente Petrolero touched on several topics and sensitive points that surround the refinery club today. Bad sports present, accumulated debts, threats of complaints and friction with the FBF.
Financially, many rumors made fans dizzy about the club’s real debt. Ronald was specific, and indicated that “The debt amounts to 5 million (dollars), since we took office to date”. The president of Oriente added in conversation with Facetas Deportivas that the debt is manageable, since 50% of that figure is a debt that the club has with the current board of directors.
Following the topic of debts, Raldes reported that the debt with the current players amounts to “two or three salaries in some cases. There are other cases to which they are owed an additional salary (four).”
A few months ago it was leaked that National Taxes had ordered Oriente to pay an outstanding debt. This was confirmed by Ronald: “The tax debt is my management, but we hope that next week it can be managed and a payment plan can be made. This prevents us from receiving payments for television rights and payments for sponsors.”
Regarding debts with past players or coaches, he indicated that it has already been negotiated with everyone (Jorge Correa, Jopito Álvarez, Antonio Puche, Guillermo Hoyos, etc.), but that Wilson Quiñónez remains pending. According to Raldes, this is because The goalkeeper was demanding a group prize that did not belong to him.
“We owe Wilson an amount, but he is wanting to collect a group prize and that does not correspond. I have asked the captains to talk to him and make a distribution, because that amount must be divided and we recognize it there,” said Raldes in the conversation with Facetas Deportivas.
Moving on to the sports topic, Raldes once again emphasized the numerous injuries of last year that had an impact on the bad news on the squad and the non-participation in international tournaments during 2024.
“Last year we entered the relegation zone and made several additions. That caused us a gap in the budget issue. We were always responsible, but we went over budget and did not reach a Cup. Even investing more, we ended up defining relegation until the last date. This year we bet again, a competitive team was put together and we couldn’t become protagonists of the Apertura either,” Raldes reflected.
Even so, with all these setbacks, Raldes thinks that they have “put together good squads,” and also indicated that the ‘black list’ of disengaged players is false: “They are speculations. I don’t know where that information comes from. Until now, no We sat down to plan if it is necessary to reinforce. The last time we spoke we agreed to wait for these four dates to end and we evaluate. Everyone has contracts, there is no one who is under contract in June. “We have not spoken with either the coach or the players about this issue of departures.”
Regarding the friction he had with the FBF, and as to whether he is a plotter against Fernando Costa, Raldes stated that he was surprised by the way in which the president of the Federation referred to the issue.
“The only thing we have asked for is the independence of the referees. We want transparency and reform, and that means you have to prioritize something else to lift it. We all have difficulties because we are prioritizing other things, not the bases. I was surprised by the way he spoke in Congress. “He can’t tell us that we are plotting against him, we have supported him in his decisions,” said the former captain of the Bolivian team.
To conclude, Ronald Raldes touched on the issue of the assembly that he never held: “Honestly, we owe an assembly. I am the one who most demands to hold it, everything is almost audited. We need a vice president to put his issues in order. He has committed to sitting down with accounting so that everything is supported. Everything is audited at 99% of the 2022 management, and once that management is closed, I call an assembly, “I show the numbers and then I continue with 2023.”
In addition, Raldes closed by indicating that he does not usually show or give words to the media or to the fans because he wants to come out with answers. Although he had promised to be “an open book”, wanting to have solutions to all the problems that he knows about the club means that he is not so accessible: “The doors are open, but they have been hard months. I understand that people are worry, but I also take care of business.
Oriente Petrolero urgently needs to reach an international tournament. Only in this way will the economic waters that are drowning the club be calmed, and the anger will also subside. of the fan who has not seen his champion team since 2010.
