“I missed spending hours with the teams, but I needed the extra time”

Question: After three months of competition, Christmas break comes. How do you view the silverware?

Reply: The truth is that I see a team that performs very well, both in terms of the positions it plays and the seniority-youth balance. A team with a great future projection. All this, together with a top coaching staff, gives me more than a positive vision.

Q: What do you like most about this new template?

A: I see three great qualities in them: On the one hand, competitiveness, they do not give up on a losing game and the fight continues until the final whistle; Secondly, it is the great capacity for work and sacrifice they show and, most importantly, the humility they reflect, which is what will enable them to grow as players and people.

Question: How are you living this year after being president of the club for so many years?

A: On the one hand, I miss spending time with the teams and coaches. But right now, I needed the extra time I currently have in my daily life to address work and personal matters that require priority.

Question: Are matches played with less anger?

A: Far from it. This does not change. The passion that drives me is still intact and my nerves are always on edge. I have a terrible time when I see them compete, but like someone who likes spicy food, I enjoy it.

Question: What did you miss most?

A: As I said before, being in direct contact with the players and coaching staff on a regular basis. Great people who will be missed, as well as those responsible for different parts of the club.

Question: One of the most important steps the club took this summer was the creation of the Foundation.

A: It’s one of the most exciting moments I’ve been able to experience since this adventure began. We had been preparing this step for years, but we could not see the moment. We wanted to do it well, and the pandemic caught us in the middle of it. The establishment of the foundation was vital in developing the whole social part, which was not possible as a club alone. We must also add that the support we receive from both society and institutions is exemplary.

Q: And the biggest achievement is that the inclusive department made history.

A: They are both the fruit and the reward for all our sacrifices, the DNA of our reason for existence. As a club we love to compete, but competing requires certain values ​​that we must not forget and when you go to see these influencers play and have fun you are enriched by them all.

Question: You have always described yourself as a president who wants to include everyone in the club, who wants to be based in Alicante and who wants everyone to feel represented. Has this success been achieved after all these years of effort?

A: Partially but not completely. It is always said in the handball environment that Alicante deserves a top team. But unless it was an independent school club, the situation would be complicated as it limited and divided supporters. I’ve heard this phrase a million times in recent years. Today, that club already exists and takes steps towards this goal every year. We are working intensively on the foundations of university clubs that want to accompany us on this path, and at the same time we are creating a new quarry by working together with the handball school and the public school. But I still miss many people who gave me this message and supported our team when I went to the games. Therefore, I invite you to participate in this reality from here. Don’t let it all be talk because we need support right now.

Question: What do you want in 2024?

A: As every year: Health for all. Let’s enjoy good handball at a sporting level, and with it we will achieve the goals sooner or later.

Question: Is this step you have taken definitive or will we see Pepe Sánchez on the front lines for a while longer?

A: (Laughs). If you want a good analogy, let me say I’m on the bench right now. I started with zero experience of heading a club and it’s like I’ve done a few master’s degrees in these years. A lot of decisions are made on the fly as to whether you are right or wrong, but if you always think about what is best for the club, people from outside who criticize and do not have a constructive spirit will not fall for it, the truth is they needed to rest and think. . We have Ñago and countless teammates on the track right now doing their best, and the rest of us can only thank them and show them all our support.