It will happen again Minister of Culture and Sports yes Pedro Sánchez Reconfirmed as head of government and he wants it; but for now Miquel Iceta (Barcelona, 1960) will serve as interim host minister in Cáceres during the informal meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the 27 countries of the European Union. This is one of the events of Spain’s presidency and is being celebrated in complete “catharsis” in one of the areas under its portfolio, with the lights and shadows cast by women’s football. “Their fight to prevent this from happening again will be good for Spanish football as a whole,” she says.
What do you expect from the ministerial meeting? caceres?
It is a so-called ‘unofficial’ meeting, but it is important because ministers from 27 countries will come together. [países que integran la Unión Europea] Treating culture as a fundamental public good and a priority for European governments. UNESCO has been pioneering the idea of culture as a sustainable development goal since last year when examining the 2030 Agenda.
So how do you achieve this?
Culture is many things, but if we remain true to cultural heritage, many countries are discovering that we can make maximum efforts to preserve and spread the heritage, and at the same time it is a vector of economic progress through cultural tourism. value-added quality tourism. Moreover, it is already recognized that more cultured societies become fairer and more efficient. That’s why we need all countries to prioritize culture. This means that we need to increase budgets for culture, create policies that will promote culture in the right way, and that societies need to be more demanding and demand more culture and commitment from governments.
He talks about culture being a basic good, but the truth is that this ministry has the lowest budget allocation (1.514 million), although it has increased in recent years.
This is true. It is one of those that increased its donations the most with 56% in the last two years; But we still want it to be more.
Access to culture is limited in rural areas. How can we reverse this situation to spread equality in this area as well?
Choosing Cáceres as the venue for this meeting aims to send the message that culture reaches the entire region. Not only does Cáceres have a very important historical heritage, but we also want ministers to visit Helga de Alvear because great efforts have been made for contemporary art there. We have created promotional policies to balance the cultural dimension, such as bonuses for young people or a film initiative for adults, with the idea that culture reaches everywhere.
What is your assessment of the cultural bonus?
We are very pleased, the idea is to continue this, but for this, an allowance of 200 million must be allocated from the budgets every year. 260,000 young people have already made requests, but we have only a few days left and we want to reach every corner.
Should we promote? Bullfighting?
Our laws say this and that’s why it needs to be encouraged. We cannot forget that we come from a cultural tradition in which bulls are of great importance and continue to have a large fan base today.
Are you more interested in culture or sport?
Miquel Iceta is more about culture; but Spanish sport gives us a lot of pleasure… And one thing that is very important is that the lower categories give us great results, so we enjoy today’s successes and prepare for tomorrow. However, there are also some problems in sports structures that are not always in line with the demands of Spanish society.
The players of the Spanish football team, despite themselves, have become symbols of everything that needs to be done for equality in sports.
This is true. They have achieved impressive sporting glory, such as winning the Football World Cup; but they also achieve a much more important victory; And that is to be the vanguard of the Spanish society, which has decided that everything is over and that we will no longer accept any discrimination, no barriers, no paternalism or anything that could be an obstacle or obstacle. To spread the great potential of our country’s women. They are the standard bearers for this. I understand them when they say that playing is what they want to do, but History has established them as standard bearers of unstoppable progress. It is true, however, that they have had to face unacceptable gestures and lack of understanding of the structures of the sport. Their fight to ensure this does not happen again and that the federation enters a phase of renewal will be good for Spanish football as a whole.
Why was no action taken? Supreme Sports Council (CSD) At the first signs of trouble ahead of the World Cup?
CSD does not appoint or dismiss federation presidents or coaches. What we do is promote sport and we only take action when disputes arise and we receive complaints. Of course, we should have reacted sooner, but we cannot do this arbitrarily, capriciously, we only do it when we are asked. When asked, CSD mediated. It is also true that, in general and with some regrettable exceptions, we must retain confidence in sports structures that function well and are committed to the goal of equality enshrined in the sports law we approved in December.
Yes Luis Rubiales Would everything have changed if I hadn’t crossed all boundaries, first in the penalty area and then with Jenni Hermoso?
I believe that women’s progress is unstoppable and things are starting to change. But there are moments when a catharsis occurs, and this has been a catharsis in Spanish football. It would be unfair not to acknowledge that women have won despite the difficulties. This is an indication that work continues in women’s sports. As a government, we are financially committed to the professionalization of women’s football. I believe they are accompanied adequately and sometimes in inappropriate ways.
When will the changes requested by players happen?
The Spanish Football Federation has requested permission to postpone the meeting until the first months of next year, when complete renovation works will take place.
Isn’t it better to do this in advance?
The structure of the sport means; If we had a meeting now, the composition of that meeting would be the same as the meeting where the previous president applauded. We prefer it to be celebrated with newly elected representatives, with a renewal that the players want and the Spanish community also demands.
We excluded at the last call Jenni Hermoso Do you really think it is protected for conservation reasons?
No. And this was another one of those mistakes that happened. Professional players aspire to be selected and win matches; Therefore, they are protected not by separating them, but by creating all the conditions so that they can play comfortably and happily and do not have to think about anything else.
Could you repeat that as the Minister of Culture?
Undoubtedly yes. But this depends on President Sánchez being sworn in again and trusting me in assembling his team.
So will we see him speaking Catalan in the stands? Congress?
I decided. If you ask me in Catalan, I will answer in Catalan. Just like if you ask me in any other language I will use it.