A month before the re-establishment of Deportivo

To re-establish a club project that turned out not to work. It’s a process that Deportivo has just started. Rebuild an entity that competes in the third tier of Spanish football, assuming millions in losses every year, adding to the already heavy backpack inherited from the past.

What is the current situation?

Deportivo announced the resignation of directors Antonio Couceiro (president), Carlos Cantó, Miguel Juane, Emma Lustres and David Villasus on Wednesday evening. While waiting for the board of directors to appoint a new governing body, Villasuso will be the one to assume his duties as state attorney.

When will there be a new board of directors?

The largest shareholder, Abanka, with 76.65 percent ownership, is already working on a new council that will lead the renovation of the club. The idea is to achieve this in a short period of time, a maximum of one month, since a session has already been called for the next July 17, when the new leadership of the entity should be voted on.

Why did this situation occur?

Since losing its place in professional football in 2020, Deportivo competes in the third national category with a social mass of 26,000 members and an exorbitant competition budget (€7.2 million), also assuming losses of around five. Namely, the club survives thanks to the support of Abanza and the participation loans approved by that entity (in November, the club announced that 8 million of the maximum 12 million that can be used had already been spent). According to the latest accounts, the negative net worth of Deportivo is 52.1 million. All that economic effort was not enough for advancement, which is why responsibilities were sought at the highest level, and Abanca wants to change the model of a club with a deep structural imbalance.

How much money is Deportivo able to generate?

According to the last closed accounts (2021-2022 campaign), the club spent 13 million. Instead, he only got about eight in revenue: 2.9 million from subscriptions, 2.3 from advertising and marketing, 2.2 from player sales, 600,000 from competitions and 350,000 from broadcasts.

Who will make decisions in the club after the resignations?

Although the club’s Board of Directors has ceased to function, all regional directors have remained in their positions. David Villasuso, in addition to remaining a proxy, is still the general manager and will be in charge of signing urgent moves for the entity’s work. Currently, Albert Gil is still the director of the organization; Massimo Benassi as Director of Business Development; Ignacio Dopico, as commercial director; and Gabriel Barrós, as director of communications. The club is not done with its links yet.

What about the sports area?

This is the main concern at the moment. The technical secretariat of Carlos Rosende and Juan Giménez has already parted ways with the club, and first team coach Rubén de la Barrera was sacked on Wednesday. Before the dissolution of the board of directors, his idea was to appoint a football director, sports director and technical secretary, but after the dismissal everything is now on hold. Since it is imperative to make decisions on the sports field in order not to compete in a disadvantageous position with other rivals in the category, it is understood that David Villasuso will sign those who are responsible for the sports field, and who are in turn responsible for compiling the composition and professional staff of the first teams.

Four weeks to create a competitive template

Last summer, Deportivo started working in the sports city of Abegond on July 18. A year earlier it was July 8. Ideally, there would be six weeks of preparation before the start of the league (expected on August 26 or 27), so it would be normal for the team to return to work in the week of July 10 or 17.

Therefore, Deportivo can’t wait for the board of directors to be chosen to lay the foundations for the new project. And even more if we consider that their rivals have been planning for several weeks, with the signatures of sporting directors (David Peláez, from Lugo), coaches (Guillermo Fernández Romo, from Ibiza) and even players (Dioni, from Málaga).

With the sacking of Rubén de la Barrera and the departure of Rosende and Giménez, Dépor has no coach or manager in the sporting area, and has a staff full of valid contracts.

Yes, both Martín Castiñeiras and Rocío Candal have been working for weeks in Fabril and in Dépor Abanca as recruitment managers. They have the most advanced work, with renovations already completed and coaches with current contracts, Óscar Gilsanza and Irene Ferreras.

The renewal of Fran as director of the quarry was also awaited. His contract expires in a few days (June 30) and the possibility of an extension was on the table considering the phenomenal play of the young selections in the last two years. This is another front that should be clarified soon.