Maximino Martínez Suárez (Pola de Siero, June 16, 1946) acceded to the presidency of the Asturian Federation on October 24, 1994, although in the previous six years he had been part of the board of directors of Manuel Vega-Arango. Before, Maxi had played soccer in several teams, but at the age of 14 he gave clues about his vocation as a leader when he founded the club “Los Diablos Rojos”, from El Berrón. He stopped playing very soon and at the age of 30 he was already a director of Langreo, becoming vice president with Julio Cadenas.
His entrepreneurial spirit led him to found another club, Lada Langreo, shortly before starting his stage in the Asturian Football Federation. In 1988 he agreed to join the board chaired by Vega-Arango, taking charge of the coordination of the regional teams. In 1992 he was already vice president and two years later he acceded to the presidency. Maxi was one of the great supporters of Ángel María Villar, whom he praised with these words in November 2008: “When I arrived at the Federation there were difficulties for employees to collect their salaries. Now, thanks to Villar, we receive 80 percent of the budget. And so all the territorial ones ”.
With the support of Villar, the Asturian Federation gave a boost to the construction and improvement of facilities, with the adaptation of numerous fields with artificial grass turf. Before ending his stage, Maximino Martínez was also able to fulfill his objective of providing the Federation with a new headquarters, in Roces, as well as a natural grass field in Tudela Agüeria.
After Villar’s departure, Maximino Martínez maintained his influence as vice president of the Spanish Federation with the new president, Luis Rubiales, who distinguished him a few months ago with the gold and diamond insignia. Maxi, in addition, is the current president of the Mutualidad de Futbolistas Españoles.
With the announcement of his resignation a succession full of unknowns opens. Yesterday only one of them was resolved, since one of Maximino Martínez’s trusted men, the economic vice president and treasurer Ramón Emilio Alonso López, ruled out presenting his candidacy: “I am a Maxi man and if he leaves it, I will go with the. We had a three-year project that was lame due to the pandemic ”. Alonso added that “it is a shame that he had to retire because of the bug because his legacy is impressive.”
“I have known Maximino for many years,” explained Ramón Alonso, who was a futsal referee and president of the refereeing technical committee before becoming vice president of the federation. “My assessment of the Maxi stage could not be more positive. Keep in mind that he has been in the Federation for almost 40 years. When he arrived almost all the fields were mud and sand. Now it leaves a large number of grass lands and a correct federative structure. And all this is thanks to him and his work teams ”.
With the passage to the side of Ramón Emilio Alonso, we will have to wait for the decision of another man who, according to the federative environment, could present his candidacy for the presidency. This is José Ramón Cuetos, “Lobo”, who is currently the president of the National Coaches Committee, after having directed the regional team. Lobo assured yesterday that he has not yet made a decision and that he will probably make his position public before the assembly scheduled for Tuesday.
The farewell letter from Maximino Martínez
Gratitude and forgiveness
To the great Asturian football family:
Linked to football since my youth, I have lived the development of this sport in Asturias from different perspectives: one, as a player for different teams (Siero, Condal, Piloñesa, Astorga and Europe); another, as a director of the Unión Popular de Langreo and founder of Lada Langreo CF, and another, finally, as a member of the Royal Football Federation of the Principality of Asturias. The latter, the longest, has spanned almost thirty-three years, of which 27 have been as president.
After so long it was time to say goodbye. Everything in life has a time limit and now mine has arrived as a representative member of this beloved institution, and for this reason I wanted to write this letter of thanks and forgiveness.
Thanks to all the people who make up the great Asturian football family (club presidents and managers, Federation employees, coaches, referees, players …) for the treatment received, the support and the closeness they have always given me, supporting me and accompanying me in the execution of projects as important for Asturian football as the Roces or Tudela Agüeria facilities, the implementation of the Fénix system or the projection, now finally executed, of the new and dreamed of unified headquarters of the Asturian Federation and of the Mutuality of footballers.
And sorry for my mistakes, never conscious or malicious, on many occasions inherent to the performance of a position in which the decisions I had to make have not been to the liking of all recipients. In all this time I have tried to be an example of a good and honest manager, always giving myself to the performance of my work with enthusiasm and dedication, sometimes beyond what the position demanded, which has meant significant hardships for my family, wife, children and grandchildren, whom I take the opportunity to apologize for so much excess, hoping to compensate them with a future of full dedication to them.
Being president of the Royal Football Federation of the Principality of Asturias for so long has been an honor. I am leaving proud, grateful, calm and optimistic regarding the future of the Asturian Football Federation, hoping that the new management team that will emerge after the October elections will have the support, understanding and affection that I have had because the most Asturian football will benefit. Thank you again for the respect that you have transmitted to me, for the invaluable support that I continue to receive in difficult times for me and my family, and thank you, especially, for the love and understanding with which you have welcomed me in these 27 years that I have been at the head of the Federation. You can be sure that I will continue to carry Asturian football and his great family in my mind and in my heart.
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