Alejandrina Cruz admits TSF who slept easier knowing that the club’s members agree with the creation of a Sports Joint Stock Company (SAD) and the sale of the majority stake in the new entity to the Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis.
“I confess that yesterday was very, very important. And that’s why I slept differently (…) Some say I’m dramatic, but the club is taking big risks, but reality shows that the attention I was paying over the years culminated in the situation that Río Ave finds itself in today,” he said.
“This contact arose by reconnecting collaborations from the past. Associations that were very important to me and that in the past had already made us grow a lot. Somehow they were suspended in the recent past. Fortunately, we managed to revive these alliances. I am talking about Gestifute and Jorge Mendes,” said in an interview with TSF.
Marinakis arrives at Rio Ave after having bought Olympiacos (2010) and also Nottingham Forest (2017). If the agreement is finalized, until December 31, Rio Ave will become part of the investor’s sphere of influence.
“Mr Marinakis has proven himself in football, not only in all the businesses he is involved in, but he has also proven it in what he has already proven in football, in particular, in the recent Nottingham Forest project. He has taken advantage of and strengthened the club. This is how he sees Rio Ave, in a range of clubs in which he wants to include it as part of a European project,” he maintains.
The assembly ratified the change from SDUQ to SAD with 555 votes in favor, 20 abstentions and 21 votes against.
“It was a very important day. The partners gave the signal of what they wanted to do, they realized the importance of the decision, also for the time involved – it was an important day to solve the problems we have to solve,” he explains.
December 31 is the deadline for investors to enter. “There is a lot of work to be done. Whether it is by the legal teams or by the financial team. There is a possibility that the deal still falls apart, on both sides. I hope not, due to the partners’ confidence in “The vote of confidence in the assembly, but also because of the way in which the negotiations have been developed.
One of the problems is the payment of debts to allow the registration of new players already in January: “For approximately a year we have not been able to register any player, from the under-15 category to the main team. The investor “Wants to open the January market to reinforce the team. The moment to achieve it is a situation that worries me. “We want the club to be on the market on January 2.”
And will Alexandrina Cruz lead the new SAD? The manager does not clarify, but guarantees that the club members can rest assured.
“We have been talking in a calm and harmonious way. Sharing opinions on the way we see the future. At this level, Rio Ave must be absolutely calm with the entry of this investment. None of us, the Rio Aves, should worry, and I speak “for me. It is a future that we see as very positive for Rio Ave,” he said.
“For me it would be different. Given how much I like Rio Ave, the next few times for those who work at Rio Ave would be very complicated.” The partners of Rio Ave approved by a large majority the transfer of a part of SAD’s share capital to the investor, who, according to management, intends to keep 80%. The remaining 20% remains in the hands of the club.
Source: TSF
