Joaquín Loaned To Albacete?!
Real Betis’ Dracula-look-alike President Manuel Ruiz de Lopera is continuing to stir things up in the Spanish league in his own inimitable authoritarian style. According to reports emanating from Andalusia the equally loved-and-loathed owner has loaned right-wing sensation Joaquín to modest second divison team Albacete.
The player was supposed to be presented at Valencia, but with a stroke of his pen Lopera has sent the player off to Albacete in what appears to be an entirely legal move.
The shocking turn of events is linked to the fact that the Spanish international has refused to sign his 'finiquito’ (an end of contract bonus written into Spanish employment law) as he disagrees with the amount offered.
Joaquín objected to various elements in the 'finiquito’, including the fact that Lopera wants the entire 25 million Euros for Betis and is standing firm that the player’s own succulent commission for the move is owed by Valencia rather than the Andalusian club. Lopera forced the player to turn up in the Manchegan capital before 9pm.
Apparently Joaquín sped to Albacete in his own car and took photos with a baffled tow-truck driver outside the Albacete FC office to show that it was closed and returned home thinking that he’d outsmarted the sulphurous exec. The surreal events continued as he’s now been obliged to return to Albacete.
It still remains to be seen if the wingman will finally acquiesce and sign on the dotted line, or if the arm-wrestle will continue to the bitter end. Lopera’s panache for the weird continues as he apparently no longer wants recently arrived Brazilian strikers Alecsandro (ex-Cruzeiro) and Wagner (ex-Internacional) and is trying to pry Rafael Sóbis from Racing and ex-Sevillista Diego Tristán from Deportivo La Coruña in a yah-boo-sucks manouvre to flip Sevilla the bird after the European Super Cup win. 'Twilight Zone' stuff indeed.
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Joaquín And Lopera Sort Things Out
The surreal events that prevented Joaquín Sánchez from playing his first ever Valencia-Betis in a Ché seem to be on the verge of ending.
After 'idiosyncratic’ President Lopera sent the player packing to Albacete as punishment for not signing his 'finiquito’ (end of contract bonus) the temperamental club owner appears to be returning to planet earth.
The 'finiquito’ is a legal requirement in Spain: if it isn’t signed then, in theory, any worker – including footballers – can’t sign on for another job. Lopera spun into one of his characteristic apoplectic rages after Joaquín refused to sign on the dotted line, using the fact that he still theoretically employed the wingman to force Joaquín to go to Albacete.
This meant that Joaquín has spent most of the weekend getting in and out of his car as he’s been forced to drive between Seville, Albacete and hometown El Puerto de Santa María. The player knows Lopera all too well and knew that any 'mutiny’ would lead to the exec doing everything within his power to block the Valencia deal and make his life a misery.
Lopera is infamous for this kind of behaviour in Seville; seen by half of the population as a raving lunatic and by the other half as one of the few true men of principle left. It looks like Lopera’s rage has done the trick; Joaquín will sign the 'finiquito’ without receiving his slice of the 25 million Euro transfer fee (rumoured to be $4 million) and Valencia will stump up the money rather than lose the player in a repeat of the Simão fiasco.
Ex-Valencia player Xisco (now at Betis) is looking for a house for Joaquín in the suburb of La Canyada and the Sánchez family bar 'Chino de El Puerto’ is closed – a gaggle of journalists from Madrid and Barcelona were frustrated to find out – until the affair blows over. Joaquín is keeping a prudent silence over the case, well aware that any declarations may reignite Lopera’s burning wrath.
According to reports in the Spanish press ('El Mundo Deportivo’, 'As’, 'Marca’, 'Sport’, 'El Periodico’ and 'El Pais’) a meeting between Lopera and Joaquín Sánchez took place after Betis were beaten – not the best timing – and the respective faxes should be exchanged between Real Betis and Valencia CF later today. Albacete fans are set to be bitterly disappointed, unless Lopera changes his mind again...
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i heard this guy was a little loco but wow...
