Miguel Andrade, Sports Manager of San Francisco de Azogues, denies that his team intended to benefit from the withdrawal of El Recreo club from the field against Pelileo, who finally qualified for the final phase of the Second Category tournament.

The executive reacted to the article on EL UNIVERSO's digital version titled 'Another dubious result in the Second Category: El Recreo withdraws from the field and Pelileo qualifies', which collects testimonies from people who were at the stadium when the Amazonians withdrew seven minutes before the end of the match, when the score favored the team from Tungurahua by 3-1.

With that partial result, San Francisco was qualifying, but the abandonment meant that a 3-0 in favor of Pelileo was decreed, which advanced to the next phase.

Andrade, exercising his right to reply, denies what people in the stadium were saying about San Francisco's representatives being on the field while El Recreo and Pelileo were playing.

"At no time has any executive traveled to the city of Puyo, and we have certainly not sent messengers with money to bribe any team. Furthermore, we are waiting for the Disciplinary Committee of the FEF to resolve our request and analyze what happened," says Andrade.

According to the executive, what was published are "rumors without considering the harm they can cause us as a club... We have never engaged in anything mentioned in the article." (D)