The public discomfort of Jacqueline Spencer
The public discomfort of the daughter of the legendary Alberto Spencer, Jacqueline, regarding the state of the Guayaquil stadium that bears the name of the deceased scorer was "important", according to the Secretary of Sports, Andrea Sotomayor, who determined -by the state entity- next December as the deadline for the revitalization of the historic and battered sports venue.
"I hope that (Jacqueline) can come in December to see what we are going to transform Albert Spencer into," said Sotomayor yesterday, announcing in a press conference that within a maximum period of 120 days the renovation of the deteriorated venue would be completed. This includes the athletic track, the field, the stands, the internal facilities, and the facade.
The recovery of the neglected Model stadium is one of the causes for which the Guayas Sports Federation -the entity that manages the venue- was intervened by the Secretary in January. Seven months have passed since then and two state intervention groups, and -beyond the fact that a section of the stands was painted- the albiceleste venue remains in the same conditions.
"It wouldn't have been right to remove the name from the stadium (Alberto Spencer), although I understand the point of view (manifested discomfort) of the Spencer family. Andrea Sotomayor, Secretary of Sports"
Already on August 16th on Twitter, Jacqueline Spencer expressed her discomfort with the appearance of the stadium on Las Americas Avenue and revealed that she had asked for her father's name to be removed, which was given to the venue in 2006.
"The procedures to remove the name were stopped due to the commitment of the authorities to recover the building and bring football to that stadium. Deadline: until the end of 2019," said Spencer.
In this regard, Secretary Sotomayor reported that she had contacted Jacqueline Spencer, who was "very receptive" to the proposal of the authority.
"It would not have been right to remove the name of the stadium, although I understand her point of view. The Spencer family feels that the stadium has not been tended to as it should be and that it should not bear the name of their father. That's what I explained to her (Jacqueline). We, as a State, due to this intervention that occurred because of the track and the stadium in general, are solving the problem," said the head of the Sports Department.
- There is nothing left of Alberto Spencer in the Model stadium
In this context, Sotomayor detailed that the economic value of the recovery of the athletic track and the field is $1,400,000. Of that total, she added, "the State would cover about 50%"; the rest is private contribution.
She also revealed that in the intervention group they were "90% convinced" that Mondo would be the company that will manufacture the new track, as they are still "in negotiations."
Finally, the Secretary of Sports revealed that from the Fedeguayas (FDG) they are "talking to First B and Second Category football teams" so that they can use the new Model field.
'Disturbances' in Fedeguayas
Secretary Sotomayor described as "unthinkable the bad attitude" of some leaders outside the headquarters of the FDG last Monday, when a court order ordered the suspension of the elections for the representative of athletes in the upcoming leadership elections of the organization.
That day, according to the accounts of athletes and the intervention group of Fedeguayas, Roberto Gilbert (former principal of the provincial entity), Enrique Segura (former basketball leader), Julio César Arteaga (who took the reins of the Ecuadorian Weightlifting Federation during José Cevallos' time as Minister of Sports), among others, tried to enter the premises of the organization.
- Before it was the COE; now it's Fedeguayas, in dispute
"A judge ordered the elections to be suspended because some leaders felt that their rights were being violated. That's how it happened (the suspension) at 7:00 p.m. What was the need to create this situation, which occurred around 7:25 p.m.? There was no need for disturbances". (D)