Concerns Over Government Intervention in Sports Travel
A recent letter from the president of CD Tenerife Femenino, Sergio Batista, has revealed alarming details regarding state pressure to cancel the women's team’s scheduled trip to Agadir, Morocco. The trip, set for August 20, was intended for the team to engage in a friendly match against a selection from the Souss-Massa region of Morocco. According to the letter, which has come to light through SER, the principal shareholder of CD Tenerife SAD, Rayco García, received a phone call from "state authorities" urging him to halt the journey.
This correspondence was directed to Octavio Caraballo, the Deputy Counselor of the Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands, and followed an official communication from CD Tenerife SAD requesting the cancellation of the trip. Batista indicated that after receiving this request, he contacted Antonio Porro, the CEO of CD Tenerife SAD. It was during this conversation that the most significant revelation emerged, where it was stated that García was prompted by state authorities to seek the postponement of the trip.
Government's Role in the Situation
The communication sent to the regional government indicates that the situation was being closely monitored by the Government of the Canary Islands, suggesting institutional expectations from the club. In fact, Batista expressed to the Deputy Counselor that with the trip's imminent date approaching, they were "awaiting instructions" on how to proceed and requested an urgent response to clarify their course of action.
The Tenerife Femenino team was particularly taken aback by this unexpected intervention, especially since the trip had been promoted as part of a governmental initiative aimed at fostering cooperation with the Souss-Massa region in Morocco. The letter explicitly states that the Government of the Canary Islands had been the primary promoter of this sporting event. However, the context of the situation extends beyond the Canary Islands, as the letter also references an email from CD Tenerife SAD that highlighted concerns related to various issues in Spain regarding Morocco. This suggests that the intervention was not merely a local decision but one that had implications at the state level.
While the letter does not specify which agency or official initiated the call to García, it underscores a significant concern regarding governmental influence on international sporting events, particularly those that have previously been supported by regional authorities. The document concludes with a call for the Government of the Canary Islands to provide an urgent response to determine the necessary organizational measures and to officially address the request for trip cancellation from CD Tenerife SAD.
As reported by cadenaser.com.
