Juan Manuel Cavagliatto: «We wanted Argentine basketball to be an example»

After having confirmed the drop in the bubbles of the National League in the city of Córdoba and Carlos Paz, in 3×3 Radio we spoke with Juan Manuel Cavagliatto, leader of Institute, vice president of the Club Association and one of the biggest drivers of this challenge in La Docta. With a great mixture of feelings, he spoke about the causes that may have existed for the Córdoba Sports Agency to lower its thumb, in what situation the National League was found and what may happen from now on.

He also spoke about the rumors that linked the Cordovan club with the player Néstor Colmenares, who would be on La Gloria’s radar for the 20/21 season.

“It is clear that we have to be attentive to what is coming, we are trying to make the headquarters in Buenos Aires now possible, we are working against the clock to be able to start the first of November as Fabián Borro said yesterday, so good, in Buenos Aires is working to finish fixing the details so that it can be done.

You have to respect, it was not me alone who worked, here there was a board of directors and a crisis committee that rolled up their sleeves and went to work. For more details, it was three in the morning and we were in a zoom meeting with the gringo Pelussi and Guerrero connected, looking at the protocols so that nothing is missing. I thought I could do it here, that in Córdoba it was fine, there are tenders signed by the mayors, but hey, we had breakfast with two tweets that the cancellation of such an important event for Argentina was reported. We had the tender for the selection and the 20 teams, but hey, we have to respect, I am going forward but hey, I thought that the event deserved a press conference or an official statement from the president of the Córdoba sport agency to download it, not with two tweets as if we were going to get together to play a dive. But you have to respect and keep working.

I sympathize with all those who are having a bad time, with all the families that lost a member, but here we worked with protocols approved by the World Health Organization. Approved by fiba, by the national authorities, as I told you, at three in the morning we make sure that the arrows indicated in the protocol are correctly placed in the hotels, so that they can not object to us, and we wanted Argentine basketball, as always, an example, but hey, you have to respect. The rulers are the ones who rule and we follow the orders.

I spoke by phone with the authorities on Friday after they spoke with Fabián Borro, and they told me. They communicated it to me, not to Argentine basketball. This has been going on for a long time, in March we played our last game, and the board of directors or the crisis committee did not go home and stood idly by, we had eternal meetings to see how we could return, concerned about all sectors of the Argentine basketball, journalists, referees, etc. I like the news of Argentine basketball, I don’t like that we are watching Uruguayan basketball, or the Colombian one. I want to connect to the programs and see our news, we care about everyone, about the referees, players, journalists, the second line that depends on basketball, we never stand idly by. We began to advance, with signed tenders, with municipalities that invested a lot. Carlos Paz acquired all the watches approved by fiba. It was a hard blow, but I remain calm, because the whole basketball environment knows that I did not do it for high school, I did it for Argentine basketball, I tried to get us back and that everything can return to normal. I’m tired of the zoom meetings, of not seeing the players on the court, and well, it couldn’t be done, but we left everything to be done, hopefully we can quickly get it done in the federal capital and show that Argentine basketball you have an organization that can do it.

We were waiting for the signature of the authorities, in Córdoba with the issue of the Americup tender, five hotels with food were closed, with the delegations, Carlos Paz’s hotel was waiting for the group, it was ready, the guy put 30 people to work at the hotel so that we have everything we need to comply with the protocol. Many people got involved. The gringo pelussi and Sergio guerrero worked tirelessly and I have to say thank you I have to show solidarity with everything the board of directors did. Even a sports psychologist was brought to the hotels to see if everyone could last 50 days there. They are five-star hotels, with lounges, with recreation. Saving the distances we wanted to do European or NBA style, they will laugh at me, but within our possibilities we look for the best possible way.

I always dealt with the municipality and you saw that everyone went to the hotels and the Sandrín, and it was raised with a bubble, always knowing that something could happen, and that is why a doctor was put inside each one, an ultrasound machine, a wing of possible case of covid for isolation. The protocol was complied with, you have to be respectful, I understand the situation we are experiencing, I respect the decision that was made, I would have liked the communication to be in another way, but not for me, I received a phone call, but for everyone you, do not get off with two tweets such an event. You have to understand the situation and move forward. I don’t have many explanations, it was all posed as a bubble, which means being isolated from the outside.

Ligorria and Sebastián Boldrini (Secretary of Tourism and Sports Municipality of Villa Carlos Paz) called me, surprised by the decision. They are the provincial authorities and must be respected. I am a voter for our governor, it is what Córdoba needs, but here a protocol was being worked on. On Wednesday I received a visit from the sports security of Córdoba, we explained everything, we showed them everything, they left very happy. This pandemic is doing no one any good. We have to respect the decisions of the rulers.

We are a united nucleus, I am in a club where there is soccer and I see that basketball is handled differently, a meeting is planned, each one says what they think, decisions are made, we are less clearly, it is another sport, there is another interest … There are always the opinions and ways of seeing of each one, but deep down the Argentine basketball leaders want the same thing: the good for basketball, we are passionate. The news did not go down well, but it was a possibility that had been handled, that the cases in Cordoba could explode and that this could happen. This was not done by institute or by Córdoba, this was done by Argentine basketball. We have two leaders who do not let you rest and who are pro, who demand that we reactivate, they demand in a good way. They will never sit around, they will find the solution to the problem and here we are, looking for a new answer. We did not expect this, but beyond being down, they automatically started looking for another venue so that the ball could start to bite.

Imagine that the news was given on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, a holiday, and work continues today. They are trying to reactivate the issue. There is a very strict and perfect protocol. Anyone who takes the trouble to read and study the protocol realizes that it is really a bubble and that we are not getting together to play a dive. Whoever takes the trouble to open it has to approve this. We will be closer to a qualification and to play the bubble.

We are used in Argentine society to not delve into the issues. I am not going to be a kamikaze to bring to my province something that is not safe, if I do, I want it to be with excellence. I had many doctors read the protocol, I had 200 meetings with grippo, everything is very clear and perfect so that a catastrophe does not happen. We are not exempt from it happening anywhere, it was scheduled what would happen if there was a suspicious or active case, the hotels were equipped in case that happens.

I have no idea where Colmenares is, the last time I looked for him he was in Romania. We are talking with your agent, we want to add him as a reinforcement. There is a big possibility, several possibilities are being evaluated, we were waiting for the confirmation of the bubbles to see what decision was made. That would be the last movement, there is no more time, otherwise we will enter the bubble as we are.

On a personal level, I am desperate for someone to trust the Argentine basketball leadership and realize that we are prepared to prepare an event of this magnitude, with the responsibility and commitment that must be had in these times of pandemic. I would love for the casla and quimsa match to be held in the country. I am a lover of Argentine basketball. We are in a difficult moment, Uruguay has very few cases and already has a competition underway, they are freer of the covid. Hopefully we will quickly get those who trust the CAB and ADC table to show that this is going to be done with sacrifice, a lot of hard work, a lot of responsibility and with the points well marked and leaving nothing to chance. We cannot be foolish and say that nothing is going to happen and be far from reality. but I do believe that with work, sacrifice and humility it can be done. All the leaders roll up their sleeves so that the event can be organized.

If the date of November 1 is confirmed, Insitituto the 30 will be there. Here we are being able to train. Players are exempted from isolation by official bulletin. We are training under strict protocols. We would enter the bubble 48 hours before, as agreed. »