Esteban Paz (photo), leader of Liga de Quito, said that the capital club would be "on the brink of an economic collapse" if professional soccer is not resumed in Ecuador.
"It's not pressure," however, the white executive clarified on Cobertura radio when referring to player salaries: "We hope that at the beginning of next month (July) we can talk to the players to continue negotiating regarding the salary issue with the squad."
"We can no longer speak of retention (of wages). Today, we must refer to cuts, something that I did not want to address, but that we will have to do in order to fulfill them (payroll). They will certainly demand it, as is their right," the executive added.
The Quito team is one of the members of the Ecuadorian Professional Soccer League (LigaPro), whose Board of Presidents established July 17 as the date to resume the national tournament.
However, the execution of the decision of the sports entity depends on the National Emergency Operations Committee (COE). In this context, Rommel Salazar, Secretary of Risk Management, has already stated that "no championship has authorization to start in July," despite the efforts of the Professional League.
LigaPro is expediting the paperwork to present the proposal to the COE in order to resume the competition on the scheduled day. (D)