Manolo Paredes waited impatiently with his suit, pin of Oviedo immaculate, the one for elegant occasions, at the arrival of the entourage. Fifteen minutes late on the estimated time, Jesús Martínez, head of the expedition, crossed the automatic gate from the baggage claim area of the Asturias Airport and went directly to the blue vice president to melt into a hug. Jesus Martinez is the leader. He is because of his charisma, because of his open and talkative character. And from the first steps in Asturian lands he made it clear. He is the image of Pachuca, the new owner of Oviedo.
“We really want to get to know the club and get to work as soon as possible”. In the background, more discreet, a long figure, gray hair and a curious look. It is Martín Peláez, the new president of Real Oviedo. Perhaps, the person who is most affected by the shareholder change in Oviedo. Because Peláez will be the strong man of Pachuca in the blue team. He has an abrupt change of plans to preside over a soccer club with a very different operation than usual in Mexico. That is why, say those who know him, since the Pachuca landing was announced, he has not stopped soaking up Oviedism. He wants a sweet and quick transition.
To help in this task, so that the entrance is clean, the Carso Group extends its hand. Carlos Slim’s men leave the foreground but do not disappear from the blue map. 20% of the shares are saved. And to show that the transition is sweet, Joe Aboumrad accompanies the expedition of the new owner in the Principality. He had not set foot on Asturian soil since before the pandemic. He is the man of Carso’s numbers, one of his strongest pieces, and works side by side with Jesús Martínez.
In addition to those already mentioned, Jesús Martínez Jr., president of the León club, also belonging to the Mexican conglomerate, was traveling on the same flight; José Ramón Fernández and Pedro Cedillo, Vice Presidents of the Group. In addition to Laura González Manjoya, head of the blue press, Bernardo Entrialgo completed the expedition, who will enter Oviedo as a scout.
Smiles, hugs and a welcome on the run. The schedule was tight and did not allow many distractions. So the Mexican expedition quickly accessed the minibus that was waiting on the platform, near the exit. Jesús Martínez and his men had between their eyebrows to see Oviedo live for the first time. There were only two hours left for the match to be played, but first they had to stop at the Hotel de La Reconquista to drop off their luggage and head back to Avilés. The first act as owner of Real Oviedo had to be with a moving ball.
While the new expedition was preening at the hotel, the focus of interest settled on the Suárez Puerta. That is where Oviedo would play the fifth friendly of this preseason, with a clear mission: to leave a good image in the eyes of the new owners. There, one who does not even lose his customs: Federico González, Carso’s advisor who will remain in Oviedo for a few months (another symptom of the sweet transition in the entity’s controls), chatted at the foot of the lawn.
Martínez, Peláez and the rest of the expedition arrived at the Avilesian stadium box just in time. They entered the field after four minutes, greeted with applause from the blue supporters who were located nearby. From their seats they could see their new team live. And the baptism was closed with blue triumph. The first, they expect from the Pachuca Group, of many in their new home.
Ovation upon arrival at the field
The Mexican expedition entered the field with the game underway, and after 4 minutes they entered the Suárez Puerta box. The blue fans near that area noticed the Mexican arrival and accompanied the access to the box with applause, as a sign of gratitude for their investment in Oviedo. Jesús Martínez lived the shock in a vivid way, despite the fact that it was only a summer test. This is how the Mexican has recognized it in many of his interventions: he likes to live football with intensity. They were received by the Avilés board, with Diego Baeza at the helm.
The first selfie, with a tourist
Among the rapid movements upon arrival, a selfie with Martín Peláez, the new blue president. Jesús Almuñécar, from Granada, was the only one who broke the speedy protocol. “I had seen on the flight that there was a stir and I looked on the internet and saw that they were the new owners of Real Oviedo. I wished them good luck in the season,” said the Andalusian fan, who landed in Asturias to enjoy a week of holidays. There were no blue supporters this time at the airport, but the congratulations were repeated at the Suárez Puerta stadium in Aviles, where the men of the Pachuca Group were able to see first-hand how Oviedo spends them, even if it was in an unofficial match.
Carso, present with Aboumrad
In the expedition that landed in Asturias from Mexico, after a stopover of a couple of days in Madrid, many new faces and a well-known face in the blue club: that of Joe Aboumrad. He is one of the strong men within the ranks of Grupo Carso. And he has always been in Oviedo at key moments, in a discreet background, as the right-hand man of Arturo Elías in Oviedo. Aboumrad accompanied the men from Pachuca in their meeting yesterday with Luis Rubiales and took the same flight that left the Mexicans in Asturian lands. It is his turn to facilitate the change of power and he does it in close collaboration with Jesús Martínez.
First contact with the blue fans
The agenda did not leave room for much movement: arrive, stop by the hotel and go to the game. Today will be the day chosen by Jesús Martínez and his companions to meet first-hand the different estates that surround Oviedo. But yesterday, on the way to the stadium, the new owner of the Carbayón club could already feel the warmth of the fans as he entered the Suárez Puerta stadium. It was at full speed, since the arrival of the new owners coincided with the start of the match between Avilés and Oviedo and nobody wanted to miss a moment of the clash. The luckiest managed to retain Jesús Martínez to pass on their requests for next season, with one idea on everyone’s mind: to fight for the long-awaited promotion to the First Division so many years later.
