The Argentine businessman Marcelo Figoli (57), well known in our country for being the owner of Fenix Entertainment Group and of Radio Rivadaviaamong many other companies in the field, arrived in Spanish lands after formally acquiring the 71 percent of the shares of Burgos Club de Fútbola team that plays in the Second division. In his first statements, he promised to take the club to the top 10 in the Iberian Peninsula, after an investment of more than 20 million euros, which will be used to build a new sports city, renovate the stadium and purchase a squad that lives up to expectations. It is worth mentioning that, in the last match, his team was eliminated from the Copa del Rey – the second most important tournament in the Spanish League – by losing 3 to 0 at home against Mallorca, so it was clear that he has a titanic task ahead if he wants to rub shoulders with the country’s great teams.
Football outlet. The business of football in major leagues like Spain, Italy and England is as simple as it is tempting. The clubs there are public limited companies and any wealthy person interested in sitting at the table of those considered G8, such as Real Madrid and Barcelona (Spain), Milan and Juventus (Italy), or Manchester United and Chelsea (England), all you have to do is buy a second division club at a low price and start climbing. Of course, the business does not reside in those cabotage matches, but in the Cups where they play all against all and the sale of tickets multiplies, the transmission rights revalue and the merchandising explodes, while they show their players so that some tycoon who watch the game, buy them in petrodollars. The question is that, whoever thinks that it is for the love of football and the Burgos, Leganés, Elche or whatever team it is, is being romantic.
That is why Marcelo Figoli and Burgos have a dream ahead of them this year: to ascend to the First Division in the remaining dates of the season and thus recover a large part of the money invested in the first instance. A difficult objective to achieve, since the team is in eleventh position and does not show football that invites us to dream of the championship. But parallel to the football achievements, which depend more on third parties than on the Argentine’s own brain, Figoli also kept an eye on the world of entertainment, which is
his metier and what he really went to do in Spain. In less than 24 hours, his company Fenix sold out the 60,000 tickets that went on sale for the show he will give Luis Miguel on July 6 in the very Real Madrid stadium. The VIP locations cost 1,400 euros, so in less than a day he closed a multimillion-dollar business, which promises to be repeated every week, implementing the same formula and the same artists with whom he sells out the Movistar Arena, Luna Park and River stadium in Argentina, but in all cities in Spain.
Recent history. The first one who tried to succeed in the Motherland was Marcelo Tinelli when in the year 1998 He took over more than 50 percent of the Badajoz club. And after an agreement with the then president of Boca Juniors, Mauricio Macri, brought some outstanding players from Xeneize with the dream of being promoted to the first team to play against Fernando Redondo’s Madrid or Rivaldo’s Barcelona. None of that happened, Badajoz failed in all its competitions, but, in Argentina, “El Show de VideoMatch” broke the ratings with the different sketches of the Rapporteros making fun of their defeats and Diego Korol interacting and joking with the Badajoz fans themselves. His journey ended in 2000, when he sold his shares with much pain and no glory.
Another Argentine who tried the same was Daniel Grinbank in it 2003but with the Leganes. Without any football tact, a week after assuming the presidency he fired 15 Spanish players and bought as many Argentine players. Two and a half million euros of investment so that the media could talk about the sensational team, while the fans insulted him for the contempt he had shown to his players. Six months later, after a match that his team lost on their home field against Real Madrid and did not fill the stadium, Grinbank resigned with a forceful phrase: “If we do not fill our stadium playing against the Real Madrid David Beckham“We don’t fill it anymore.”
The saying goes “there are no two without three.” And here comes the turn of Christian Bragarnikwho a few years ago bought enough shares of the Elche to handle it at ease and pleasure. Although the first year he achieved promotion, in his next two seasons he hovered around the bottom positions until he finally ended up being relegated. Today he plays in the second category and although he continues in his position, none of the players acquired at the beginning continue.
With the utopia of playing a Champions League or win a League Cup, Figoli began his football journey with more hopes than certainties. And while his team loses by a landslide to whoever visits him at home, at least he will always have a Luis Miguel or Ricky Martin that balances your finances.
