The most ironic Ramírez. “If Pepper leaves the promotion positions, we will fire him”he assessed in a humorous and joking tone, Miguel Angel Ramirez, president of UD Las Palmas at the presentation of the sponsorship agreement between the automobile firm DFSK and the chain of subsidiaries. In relation to the representative team of the Canary Islands, UD or Tenerife, he refused to speak. “That is a journalistic and amateur debate.”
Transfers, ups and downs, Kirian Rodríguez, Pedri’s birthday, the collection of the derby… Ramírez’s appearance went a long way. He appeared with the handbrake on, with the arsonist holder syndrome. To the press, not even the crumbs. “It’s a very important game because of what it means for the fans, we’re up against the eternal rival. But obviously within the season there are three more points. It’s anecdotal that UD in the last four games hasn’t won, it has been deserving of this with football deployed. You have to be patient, calm because the good results are going to come. There is tremendous expectation and we must live up to it. We are going to leave everything on the field of play and with the utmost respect, we must try to keep the three points in Gran Canaria”.
Close to having 32,400 spectators, it is the derby with the greatest expectation in history. All have gone through the box office and the UD avoids revealing the amount to be received. “The team is in important positions and we do not see that we are going to abandon them (…) That is within the strategy of the UD. We are an entity audited by an external auditor, LaLiga and the CSD, therefore our data is transparent, but we don’t have to be giving any information day by day because that is detailed in the reports. The important thing is that from the management of the club the objectives that we set before LaLiga are met, because if we do not comply we will be sanctioned ” .
The 690 tickets to Tenerife and the controversy of the week
Ramírez rules out that the delivery of the 690 tickets has generated controversy or estrangement with the board of directors of the Tenerife. “There is no controversy. Concepción’s words have been misinterpreted, and I also take advantage of the fact that it is her last derby and fire her as she deserves. We will give her a plaque.” He highlights the figure of Concepción: “It is an honor to share with him, he is a person I admire and I wish him the best. About his words, he has to defend the interests of his fans and they understood that if we gave 2,000 before now 690 did not understand it , but it’s a fair issue. If the UD fans when they go to Tenerife and due to capacity or because they think it’s convenient, they only provide us with 700 tickets, what I can’t do is when a crowd is expected, then reward them”.
Zero controversies. “We are not going to enter into any conflict (…) In January, they took away all our tickets. We accepted it, we did not protest, we understood it, we expressed our solidarity with them, we went there and we beat them. It is about winning the games in which pitches and only the footballers do that. None of the presidents is going to come into conflict”.
Crisis, what crisis?
For the chief executive, there is no cause for alarm. “I don’t think it’s going to be an adverse streak of results. UD, with all due respect to its rivals, goes out to compete every week, does its football, you see it, we’re playing well and doing what we want to do. Then you win , draw or lose. We haven’t won for four games, but we haven’t lost either. We have to keep working, we’re closer to victory”.
It was transferred to him if UD Las Palmas is the biggest team in the Canary Islands, since it has 31 seasons in the First Division, while Tenerife only has thirteen. “I’m not going to get into that debate. It’s a journalistic and fan debate, but not one of directives. UD is very big but I also have to respect and recognize that Tenerife is important”.
Signing and waiting for Kirian Rodríguez
Ramírez calls for patience and calls it “silly” to look at the market -which begins on January 1 in terms of transfers and the yellow box has a free chip-. “It is nonsense, one month after the start of the market and two after it ends, to say that a player can leave. Therefore, no one is going to leave and if someone can come, there is a free chip. I don’t know if Kirian or for any signing. From there it will be…”. Sports policy is also a secret.
“It is not professional to be advancing if we are going to give some casualty, I do not foresee that we are going to find it with the results. If you ask me today, well, I’ll tell you that there are two months left and there is a free file. We will see if Kirian is in a position to take it and thus we close the matter”.
Pepper’s renewal
CD Tenerife accelerates the renewal of Ramis -whose contract expires on June 30-. And pepper? “He has a contract until June 30, what he has to do is work, focus on his work and obtain the result that we have set for ourselves. The renewal of Pimienta is not in debate, there are seven months left. We are going to focus on this season and When it’s over, we’ll talk.” He shows that perhaps it is the Barcelona coach who does not want to continue: “He is not interested in continuing. You have to take advantage of García Pimienta, the players, enjoy them, achieve the objective and when the time comes we will decide, but now it is not time to talk to him, mislead him, change the version, decenter him”. direct: “That he continue to win games, that he continue in those positions and at the end of the season we will celebrate it”.
The style war
Already in the final stretch, Ramírez made a presentation of the two tactical criteria. The aesthetics and preciousness of the UD against the reinforced concrete of Tenerife. “Everyone knows what UD is going to do; which is to try to have the ball, play football and play our game. And we all know Tenerife, they will come to play their game. They have another style, very respectable, and we are going Let’s see if our style or theirs prevail. Last season the Las Palmas style prevailed in La Liga and Tenerife’s in the playoffs. Tomorrow will be a good day to find out what style prevails”.
