Allegations of deception swirl around the team known as Tiempo de Juego, the flagship sports program on Cadena COPE. A veteran history reporter once embedded within this unit is accused of orchestrating a long-running ruse that allegedly diverted substantial sums through a fake cancer narrative. The purported scheme, spanning weeks and weeks, allegedly involved a pretend illness used to justify costly therapies that never materialized. The full extent of the deception, as the story unfolds, points to a hidden layer beneath a high-profile media environment.
The central figure in this controversy is the journalist Guillermo Valades. Reportedly, six months prior to the public unfolding of the allegations, colleagues were informed that Valades had been diagnosed with a brain tumor with metastases. The tale described a grim prognosis and a narrow set of survival options, with an experimental treatment at a facility in Navarra positioned as a possible beacon. The reported weekly cost of such care ranged into four figures, which, if real, would strain ordinary newsroom resources. Within COPE, the names of Paco González, Manolo Lama, Pepe Domingo Brown, and Xuancar Gonzalez were cited as long-time peers and key decision-makers within the sports division. They were said to have discussed supporting Valades’s treatment, grounded in a sense of solidarity that had existed for years among the network’s senior personalities. [Source: internal COPE conversations and whistleblower notes]
Reports describe an arrangement where the necessary funds would come from a working capital pool associated with the department, a reserve fed by advertising revenue and sponsorships. The implication was that this fund could be allocated for special needs, eventually appearing as a kind of year-end bonus distributed to staff. In dialogue with colleagues, the narrative suggested a shared commitment to helping a respected co-worker in a time of crisis. [Source: internal accounting summaries and staff communications]
The social media thread surrounding the matter carried a moment of almost celebratory sentiment. A post from a broadcaster, signed by Guillermo Valades, circulated on the platform, noting a moment of triumph and a positive update about the situation. The post, which included several colleagues and social handles, reflected a mood of relief and communal support. [Source: social media chronology]
As the story progressed, Valades reportedly told colleagues that the treatment had shown signs of effectiveness, that he felt better, and that the experimental therapy appeared to be working. The narrative then escalated into a degree of financial strain, with the weekly expenditure cited at 16,000 euros for advanced medications. The implication was that the team had absorbed these costs under the banner of helping a valued teammate, albeit through an unusual funding mechanism. [Source: internal financial review and press snippets]
Yet new information began to cast doubt on the veracity of the illness claim. It emerged that no one named Guillermo Valades appeared on the patient roster at the Navarra clinic, calling into question the authenticity of the medical condition. The discrepancy prompted investigators to assess whether the narrative of illness had been constructed to justify ongoing expenses.
In the days that followed, Gonzalez attempted to reach Willy, a nickname used for Valades, but phone contact stopped. Other colleagues, previously warned about potential irregularities, did not respond to outreach either. During the same period, attempts to request clinical invoices from Valades’s supposed department for administrative reasons proved lengthy and inconclusive, raising fresh concerns about the authenticity of the medical billing. [Source: internal communications and investigative records]