Paco Jémez (Las Palmas, 1970) is already in A Coruña with his family after experiencing a short odyssey to leave Iran. The former Deportivo player had been there for a year and a half as coach of Tractor Sazi, but the conflict that had broken out with Israel since last weekend and the existing tension in the area convinced him that the best thing was to return to Spain and put an end to his last experience on the bench.
How would you explain the situation you have experienced these last few days until leaving Iran and return to Spain?
We are not used to these types of situations, neither we nor our families, and they generate significant unease for us. The situation there is very tense, I hope nothing happens, but we couldn’t wait to see if it would happen or not. We made the decision with the club to terminate the contract and get out of there.
What was the process like to leave the country?
We have always been in contact with the embassy. They already contacted us so that we could be located, to know where we were… I personally have a relationship with the consul and the ambassador, I know them, and I have been in communication with them. They have always given us peace of mind, even though the situation was tense. It must be taken into account that in Iran there will be only 100 Spaniards. That is, it is not difficult to contact us, another thing is if there were 30,000 or 40,000, that would be a hassle. Since we were few, the embassy has always been very much on top of us.
Were they still training and working? What was day-to-day life like after the attack?
Day to day life was normal. They are used to these things and living like this, the only ones who were screwed were us. They handle it better, I don’t know. You went to train and the boys did well, there is no feeling of anything. That’s what surprises you. We are not used to these things, you watch the news and think that if something happens, let’s see how you get out of there. It is not easy to leave Iran, it is not a country where you say I’m leaving and that’s it, it doesn’t work like that. The day-to-day feeling was normal, nothing strange.
And what did the club tell you?
The club has always been very attentive to us. He has behaved fantastically well. When we explained this to them, what they told us was that the only possibility was to terminate the contract so that they could fix the entire visa issue to be able to leave. I told them that it seemed perfect and they arranged the passport and visas, we terminated the contract and the moment there was a flight we left, because there was a day when Iranian airspace was closed. You couldn’t get in or out. On Monday it opened, there were some flights and we were fortunate to take one to Istanbul.
You’ve gotten used to exotic adventures, do you regret this one in Iran?
Adventures are very nice, but… We went to Mexico and we encountered the strongest earthquake in I don’t know how many years. Now we go to Iran and we find this. All experiences are enriching, even when you have a hard time, they are experiences that make you better. I have been in Iran for a year and a half, I have known a very different country, a very different football, very different people and I hope that this will make me a better person in the future. I’m not one to say, ‘Fuck, why did I go there?’ No, I went because it was time to go.
Has it also been enriching sportingly?
Also. The team has worked very well, now we had it in third position… Nice things have been done and I also come from there with a bit of sadness because the club wants to grow, the owner is investing a lot of money and little by little he intends to fight for it. championship with the greats of the country. It was a very nice place to grow and do important things.
And now what would you like to do?
Now what I want is to rest and enjoy family. We can look at some offers for next season, but now we want a few days of relaxation. I have come here to Coruña to rest and do things that I have not been able to do until now.
2024-04-17 17:49:48
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