Grondona: 'football plan to be analyzed by Clubs Assembly'

The head of the Argentine Football Association, Julio Grondona, ratified that the football reorganization plan to unify the country’s first- and second-tiers into one league “exists and will be debated by the Clubs Assembly” on October 18.

“Those things they are publishing are not the real facts. They are talking about figures that don’t exist, about the implication of the government that does not exist. What we are looking for is the federalization of the football and every project will be analyzed by the Clubs Assembly,” Grondona said in an interview with a radio.

“The only fact we’ve already decided is that the National B division will be televised by ‘Fútbol para Todos.’ But about the tournament I can say that we’ve been thinking about it for a long time and that River’s relegation has nothing to do with it,” he continued.

Confusion continues in AFA after it launched the plan on Monday, and a day later postponed its confirmation.

Grondona, was going to give a press conference, but cancelled it a few hours later and released instead a communiqué via the official website.

The statement tries to “clarify” the current situation of the Argentine football and its future.

The reorganization plan announced on Monday was expected to be enacted in time for the 2012-13 season, meaning that River Plate, which was relegated last month for the first time in their history, is likely to return to the top flight after just one season in the second division.

The new set-up also has major political and financial implications, with presidential elections coming in October and President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner being the favourite to be re-elected.

In 2009 the AFA tore up its contracts with TV rights holders and transferred the package to state-run TV, in a deal that offered all first division matches free to air.

The arrangement gave clubs a much-needed income boost and is a likely to be a vote winner for Fernández de Kirchner if it is expanded.

The communiqué released states the following:

1. The resolution of the Executive Committee presented last Monday over the football reorganization plan will be analyzed by an Assembly that will be held by the end of the year 2011. The members of the Executive Committee had decided this by 22 votes in favour, 4 abstentions and one absence.

2. Up to 30 days before, the project will admit the formal consideration of those aspects that do not modify its essence.

3. AFA did not receive any official, private or political request to propose a new order in its championships.

4. The football can only amend, modify or rearrange its tournaments by the Honorable Assembly, which is an obligatory, democratic and sovereign organization.