a complicated business. You can’t build a house from the roof down. I know that the pressure’s on, but everything’s under control. Just let me get the season under way, and when things start to go badly, that’ll be the moment to provoke a crisis.’
‘What if things go well, though?’
‘What are you saying? How can things possibly go well? I’ve got a team of cripples and an idiot for a manager; we lost a thousand members last season; and we lost three of our first four games in the League.’
‘But you’ve just signed a star player.’
‘A star player?’
‘Palacín. He’s international status.’
‘Madre de deu … Star player — that’s ridiculous! See — you’re making me so nervous that I’ve started speaking Catalan.’
‘It would do you good to speak Catalan.’
‘Stop it, Dosrius. Palacín has a plastic kneecap. I got him from Raurell, who’s one of the shadiest agents there is. I signed him against medical advice — in other words, I did a deal with the doctor. The trouble is, you don’t understand. I can’t be chairman of Centellas and start the season without signing up someone so as to show that I want the club to survive. That was what we agreed. Tell that to whoever you need to tell it to. You know perfectly well that when we met in that restaurant in Castelldefels, with those people you brought, everything was left very clear. You work at your own speed, Sánchez. That’s what they said. That’s what
you
said. And that’s what I’m doing.’
‘The Olympics are getting closer.’
‘We’ve already made our agreement. No problem. The ground will be yours.’
‘Ours.’
‘All right, ours. But don’t go getting so impatient.’
‘I want to be frank with you.’
But he delayed being frank until he had finished eating his toast and had taken a long sip at his coffee, a sip which seemed to last an age.
‘They’ve no confidence.’
‘In whom?’
‘They’ve no confidence.’
‘You mean they don’t trust me?’
‘There are too many loose ends. Imagine what’s going to happen if your club members decide to prolong Centellas’s death throes right up to the Olympics. By then land speculation will be spreading like wildfire, and any bit of ground within three miles of the Olympic Village is going to be worth its weight in gold. Bythen it’ll be too late. Our group — I repeat,
our
group, as much yours as mine — won’t have the weight to compete with other buyers when it comes to buying the Centellas ground. Don’t forget, there will be foreign buyers too. Use your imagination, and you’ll tremble even to think of it.’
Zapico trembled accordingly, and mustered a feeble smile.
‘But …’
‘No buts, Juanito … Just use your imagination.’
‘But … you must think I’m stupid. It can only be a question of months. We’ll be bottom of the League within a fortnight. Even if my idiot manager doesn’t do the trick, I’ve arranged with one of my players to fix Palacín’s knee again.’
‘You don’t mean you’ve got someone else involved?’
‘Don’t worry, I’ve got him firmly under my thumb, and anyway, I’m not dealing with him directly. As soon as we’re bottom of the League, and Palacín’s been dealt with, I’ll call a board meeting, and an emergency meeting of the club members, and I’ll say: “Gentlemen, the time has come to call it a day”.’
‘Supposing they say no? Supposing they start collecting money in the barrio? “Centellas must be saved!” People love saving things that are at death’s door.’
‘What do you mean, barrio, Dosrius? What barrio? How many years is it since you were last in our part of town? It’s not a barrio any more, it’s not anything. People these days don’t know whether they’re in Pueblo Nuevo, Barcelona or Timbuctoo. People these days are worried about finding jobs, not about saving fossilized football clubs — particularly if it’s going to cost them money, because
‘What if things go well, though?’
‘What are you saying? How can things possibly go well? I’ve got a team of cripples and an idiot for a manager; we lost a thousand members last season; and we lost three of our first four games in the League.’
‘But you’ve just signed a star player.’
‘A star player?’
‘Palacín. He’s international status.’
‘Madre de deu … Star player — that’s ridiculous! See — you’re making me so nervous that I’ve started speaking Catalan.’
‘It would do you good to speak Catalan.’
‘Stop it, Dosrius. Palacín has a plastic kneecap. I got him from Raurell, who’s one of the shadiest agents there is. I signed him against medical advice — in other words, I did a deal with the doctor. The trouble is, you don’t understand. I can’t be chairman of Centellas and start the season without signing up someone so as to show that I want the club to survive. That was what we agreed. Tell that to whoever you need to tell it to. You know perfectly well that when we met in that restaurant in Castelldefels, with those people you brought, everything was left very clear. You work at your own speed, Sánchez. That’s what they said. That’s what
you
said. And that’s what I’m doing.’
‘The Olympics are getting closer.’
‘We’ve already made our agreement. No problem. The ground will be yours.’
‘Ours.’
‘All right, ours. But don’t go getting so impatient.’
‘I want to be frank with you.’
But he delayed being frank until he had finished eating his toast and had taken a long sip at his coffee, a sip which seemed to last an age.
‘They’ve no confidence.’
‘In whom?’
‘They’ve no confidence.’
‘You mean they don’t trust me?’
‘There are too many loose ends. Imagine what’s going to happen if your club members decide to prolong Centellas’s death throes right up to the Olympics. By then land speculation will be spreading like wildfire, and any bit of ground within three miles of the Olympic Village is going to be worth its weight in gold. Bythen it’ll be too late. Our group — I repeat,
our
group, as much yours as mine — won’t have the weight to compete with other buyers when it comes to buying the Centellas ground. Don’t forget, there will be foreign buyers too. Use your imagination, and you’ll tremble even to think of it.’
Zapico trembled accordingly, and mustered a feeble smile.
‘But …’
‘No buts, Juanito … Just use your imagination.’
‘But … you must think I’m stupid. It can only be a question of months. We’ll be bottom of the League within a fortnight. Even if my idiot manager doesn’t do the trick, I’ve arranged with one of my players to fix Palacín’s knee again.’
‘You don’t mean you’ve got someone else involved?’
‘Don’t worry, I’ve got him firmly under my thumb, and anyway, I’m not dealing with him directly. As soon as we’re bottom of the League, and Palacín’s been dealt with, I’ll call a board meeting, and an emergency meeting of the club members, and I’ll say: “Gentlemen, the time has come to call it a day”.’
‘Supposing they say no? Supposing they start collecting money in the barrio? “Centellas must be saved!” People love saving things that are at death’s door.’
‘What do you mean, barrio, Dosrius? What barrio? How many years is it since you were last in our part of town? It’s not a barrio any more, it’s not anything. People these days don’t know whether they’re in Pueblo Nuevo, Barcelona or Timbuctoo. People these days are worried about finding jobs, not about saving fossilized football clubs — particularly if it’s going to cost them money, because
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