“Political parties know as much about football as they do politics, no bullshit”

In an extensive interview given to the newspaper ‘Brand’ and on the occasion of Thursday’s qualifying match for German Euro Cup already Spain will play on Cyprusthe former national coach Javier Clemente He remembered that famous meeting Larnaca that the Cypriots won 3-2 25 years ago, specifically on September 5, 1998, and it meant the end of his time as a coach. It was a turbulent time, where the figure of Merciful I’m in the middle of a media war going on Jose Maria Garcia together José Ramón de la Morena. That’s when the Barakaldo He didn’t bite his tongue. Not now either.

In this interview, he said that he remembers that clash as “a sporting sensation in which a huge team that was superior to the rival lost and a mediocre team shot at the goal three times and scored three goals. It happened it, but they are never. better than us.”

“A logical result is 3-8”

And he defended himself against those who said he had not seen the rival’s videos. “I know them… There’s no video in the world that deciphers a guy shooting you from 40 meters and putting it in your corner. If that happens, that there’s a guy practicing 50 shots like that. and you’re 10… But sa Cyprus did not exist. What happened was he kicked out of there Canizares He put it in the square. Out of 500 times he did not score more than that. And then someone else nailed it from afar. On the other hand, very high level people did not see the door that day. Raoul He had three and hit a stick; Luis Enriquetwo… The logical result would be 3-8,” he said.

“I left, no one kicked me out”

Merciful want to make it clear that “I left, no one kicked me out. I came to MadridI went to see Angel Villar and I said to him: “You don’t have to stop me or anything. I’ve been here for six years, which has been phenomenal and the best thing is that I left,” he said.

When asked about the role of political parties calling for his ouster, he insisted that “political parties know as much about football as they do about politics. There is no stonewalling. Many of the politicians for appearing in picture, on the cover of Marca or elsewhere sports newspaper lose their asses. If they ignore politics, what do they care about football? They have to thank football for going to the boxes… Their first obligation is to know about politics and we have no virtuoso.”We live in a time when almost everyone is angry. I want to have a round table and sit them down to talk about life, not politics.”

The media war

Regarding the media war that existed then, he said that “25 years have passed and From Morena and someone else said about me. But they never said I lied,” he began. And remembers that “for me, after the Euro of ’96 was when Galician (Jesus, SER journalist) comes out saying that I hit him. AND Matías Prats That day, he told me: “It’s a shame that he hit a journalist.” I told him that what he did was a bad action and that I apologize for that attitude. “But let him know I didn’t hurt him.” He insisted a second and third time. And I told him again, “I apologize, but I still didn’t hurt him.” And so I had to endure 10 years. Thirty years later or 27, I still maintain that I did not hurt him. And no one would mess with me if I hurt him. The benefit is Galician. I moved the microphone away from him. If I had hit him, with the steel microphone he was carrying, he might have opened his eyebrows or something. The only thing I hit, by accident, was one of my bodyguards who I hit when I pulled my arm back. But the clan took advantage of that. From Morenasome chorizo.”

His relationship with the press

Finally, he explained his position to reporters. “I have maintained my line for 40 years. That I am rude? Perhaps. That I treat journalists face to face? Yes. But in press conferences I treat them the way they treat me. My opinion is of them for what they wrote at he thinks of me when he writes. Ah, that’s not fair. “What you have to say to me, say to me in private,” they say. That means, me in private and you in public. It’s not my business. I don’t have a newspaper to write to. If there is, I’ll tell him that he doesn’t know, that his ignorance is complete and he’s wrong. I don’t go into bogs, I only answer you. questions. That’s what I think and that’s what you want me to answer. You asked me what color the wall was and I said green because it’s green.”