Seizure in CD Tenerife. The blue and white offices woke up yesterday to the shock of news about an ongoing investigation by the Civil Guard that affects several employees of the institution due to a possible theft and sale of official material. It appears the stolen shirts were intended for players across various teams. These are the ones that the brand Hummel allocates for internal use among the teams. So, it’s quite a revelation that has come to light.
The alarm bells rang when it became clear that the number of shirts being printed by a Tenerife company surpassed the total amount sold through official channels. At times, the volume of clothing processed by this company resembled that of a top-tier club, despite the fact that the figures on the store and Las Ventas Club website did not reflect such high numbers.
The investigation, spearheaded by officers from the crime unit focused on protecting heritage, has extended to various businesses on the island where shirts were allegedly sold at extraordinarily low prices, significantly lower than what the club officially sets.
Consequently, Tenerife now believes the financial damage has been considerable, not to mention the reputational harm. If word spreads that blue and white merchandise could be acquired from unofficial channels at such low prices, that could create serious issues. Social media is rife with ads promoting the sale of official shirts from different seasons, sometimes at discounts of up to 60% compared to retail prices.
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The club soon realised the scale of the missing shirts was alarming. This prompted police action and discussions in Board of Directors meetings led by José Daniel Díaz. On one occasion, the island leader personally visited the senior officials at the Civil Guard to express his concerns about the complexity of the situation and the clear difficulties the institution faced in addressing the illegal sale and distribution of their official merchandise.
It’s noteworthy that the sale of shirts and other clothing represents one of the most lucrative revenue streams for clubs in professional leagues, especially those with large supporter bases.
This complaint has also caught the attention of former club president Paulino Rivero, who received a call from a high-ranking national official. The investigations yielded some definitive conclusions, indicating that various points of sale were peddling CD Tenerife shirts that were indistinguishable from official ones, rather than mere imitations. At this stage, investigators were keen to uncover who was behind the connection to these points of sale for the purpose of reselling these items at slashed prices.
Within the club, there’s a growing belief that the report stemming from this investigation will be “devastating,” according to sources consulted by this newspaper. So far, the investigations have cleared the screening company of any involvement in the smuggling operation. Yet, the focus has widened beyond just one employee, as the sheer volume of shirts leaving the official channels suggests multiple individuals may be implicated.
Yesterday, a meeting took place between senior management of the island team and José Coe García, head of Hummel in Spain. “I can’t add much; I learned everything from the press this morning,” he remarked. The Danish sportswear executive indicated that they were “looking to the future,” aiming to continue their partnership with Tenerife in the upcoming seasons.
The club is convinced that Hummel offers more favourable conditions than any other company could provide. The Tenerife entity shares sponsorship with other clubs, including Betis, Málaga, and UD Las Palmas, alongside international teams like Werder Bremen and Bröndby If. The management at Tenerife have found solid support and cooperation from Hummel in this Civil Guard investigation.
