«Es la FIFA quien decide qué sedes van a ser»
La already former director of the candidacy for the men’s World Cup in 2030, María Tato, justified her farewell to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for not wanting to «be in that spotlight» mediatic nor «be the target of anything» because she is not «used to handling the pressure» she has received «these days» after the controversial selection of venues.
«I think this is already taking on a dimension… I am starting to see political statements and I don’t want to be in that spotlight. I have never been involved in politics, I don’t want to be in the middle of it… I don’t want to be the target of anything. I clarify to whoever it may concern, and I have clarified it and I can clarify it as many times as you want from here on out, and I can show you the documentation and everything. But I can’t and shouldn’t be because this is a topic that will not stop,» Tato said in the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday during ‘El Larguero’ on Cadena SER.
«No, I have not been fired. I have offered my position to the president because I am not used to handling the media pressure these days. I have never been on the front page of anything, you have known me from the World Cup with a very low profile. Only the people who have been very close to the World Cup environment knew what I was doing, I have never stood out or gone anywhere and I didn’t like it,» she alluded to the recordings that ‘El Mundo’ released last Monday to indicate that the scores of the stadiums had been manipulated.
«I don’t like finding something every night that is not real or that is manipulated or unfair. I have offered my position to the president and in the negotiations we have reached a cessation,» she explained. «But as I mentioned earlier, I have decided to step back basically because I am not able to handle this spotlight and I don’t want to continue in this spotlight. I don’t know if it has ever happened to you, I am not used to it,» she reiterated about what she experienced this week.
«‘María Tato, head of the candidacy’ is the first time you hear it because until now I would swear she has not manifested as such. In fact, I have not intervened in anything; and, when we have met, we have met three people with you,» she argued. «The concept of business unit by FIFA, FIFA intends it to be separate because, if there is a problem in the RFEF, some kind of controversy or crime, it does not affect the candidacy,» she instructed.
«The personnel of the candidacy is isolated by FIFA regulations. Are we within the RFEF? Yes. Do we operate as an independent business unit? Yes, also,» Tato added in her interview. «I am not leaving. Because normally people stay in their positions until they are really up against the wall. Not in my case, not at all,» she said regarding her dismissal.
«No one likes to be recorded by a colleague in a work meeting. It seems shameful and in fact, I have already taken legal action. I think no one in a relaxed work environment has the right to do that. And no matter how much animosity one has towards another person, the president, or ‘sursum corda’, they should not manipulate, use this, and take it to a media outlet with the intention of causing harm. That’s not how I operate; that’s not how it works in my world,» she pointed out.
«My farewell has been very correct and I return with the rest of my colleagues. Really, it is a thoughtful decision and I am calm, I think I am finally calm. Every night I said to myself: ‘No, something is going to come out.’ And I said: ‘But for God’s sake, when can I speak?'» she reflected on the radio before discussing the details of the technical report from the Executive Committee of the World Cup candidacy.
«It is a working document. It is the first of a series of Excel sheets and working documents. And I want to explain it, but I also want to explain it with documentation, that’s what I’m going to do. That is, there is a shift from a score of 15 to 20 points in one of the subfactors regarding two stadiums,» she began her explanation.
«Because these are two stadiums that do not need intervention to be a venue, one is the Anoeta stadium and the other is the Espanyol stadium. These are stadiums that, if you know them, are ready. So you can’t penalize these two stadiums and we were penalizing both of them but due to a criteria error. As simple as that, there is no more, there is no manipulation. And also, this is one of the microfactors, I want to remind you, there are 17,» she affirmed on the matter.
«I have no problem sitting down. I have not done it so far because, when you are under the umbrella of a company, any company, you do not decide on communication. Now that I am no longer there, obviously I have complete capacity because I speak as María Tato,» she emphasized. «Everything is fully documented because they are work reports, internal Excel sheets,» she repeated about the controversial document.
«It is FIFA who decides which venues will be»
«What I want first is to explain myself, demonstrate it, and prove it. That is the first thing; regardless of this conversation, I would like to be able to elaborate. We also have to consider, for example, that this is a FIFA World Cup. We can make a proposal, but it is FIFA who decides which venues will be,» she warned.
She then used the example of the 2026 World Cup in North America. «23 venues were presented and finally it was agreed that only 23 out of 16 will be selected. Some were not even in the initial list. So, this is something that depends on FIFA. We have made a proposal that we considered technically correct, and it has been understood and contributed as such,» she commented vehemently.
«From here, FIFA decides how and with different criteria. We have based ourselves on the pillars of this candidacy, especially sustainability. But let’s not understand that this is a definitive thing or a fixed photo. This is a proposal made among the three countries, because there was a maximum limit of 20, we could not present more than 20 among the three. And from here, there may not necessarily be 20 venues, nor will we necessarily have 11 or be those 11. Because all this is a decision of the organizer, which is FIFA,» she also referred to the roles of Portugal and Morocco.
«Of course, I feel liberated, these have been tremendously hard days. I promise you, the helplessness of reading things at night that are tremendously false… Have you ever been recorded and had your recordings cut and manipulated and posted on the internet? I swear I don’t wish that on anyone. Because the feeling you have is one of complete helplessness trying to remember,» Tato added.
«‘But this was not how it happened.’ By the time you take the picture, but why? If this was a work meeting of an hour and a half and only… I don’t know how much, it’s not even three minutes. Wow, it’s cut. I truly do not wish that feeling on anyone. I say it completely seriously. You feel completely manipulated. You feel it’s an offense, really, and it’s tremendously unfair,» confessed the former director.
Finally, despite the disagreements, she admitted feeling supported by the RFEF. «Yes, of course. Yes, yes. Truly, I have not had any pressure. Yes, they have behaved well, of course. I have absolutely no criticism, not even the slightest, neither of this president nor the previous one nor the colleagues I have. No, not at all. Yes, they have behaved well. This is a decision made by me, okay? I mean, it is a decision I have made,» Tato concluded.