Marcelino García Toral presented the first edition of the FutbolFy congress, an event aimed at coaches and football professionals, which will be held on 24 June at the Riera Theatre in Villaviciosa, the town of which he is a favourite son. Among the speakers will be Mateu Alemany, former sporting director of Barcelona; the chef Quique Dacosta (three Michelin stars); Chus Bueno (CEO of Legends); and Rubén Albés himself, as well as other prominent speakers yet to be revealed before June 24.continental competition. Enthusiasm and no expiry date On the other hand, he did not hide his disappointment at the situation of Sporting Gijón, who last year fought for promotion through the playoffs, but this year it is more complicated. ‘I’m a bit disappointed because you always think, believe and want Sporting to be at the top of the table like last season, but it seems that this one is not going to be possible,’ said Marcelino, who also wished for a better dynamic for Real Oviedo, as happened in his time as a player. However, he valued Rubén Albés’ work at the helm of the team and stressed that the Red and Whites “are almost always competitive, although they lacked a bit of success to turn those draws into wins”, highlighting the lack of determination in the penalty area as a key problem. Marcelino did not dodge questions about his future. ‘I still see myself not coaching when I reach 70… but I’m close to 60 and I think we’ll continue a few more seasons as long as they trust this coaching staff. Sometimes I think I’m looking forward to retirement, but I also think I’d be bored to death if I didn’t work. The best thing is to focus on the day to day and enjoy it. I am very happy where I am working. Now I have a good team, good leaders, good human relations and a great desire to finish as high as possible,’ he said, denying that the national team is a medium-term objective. Finally, he made a statement about a possible return to Gijón: ‘I would only return to Sporting if I am fully convinced of success. If it doesn’t work out, I wouldn’t forgive myself because it’s my home’. Unmissable event in Villaviciosa FutbolFy Congress will bring together leading names from the world of football and business on Tuesday 24 June at the Riera Theatre in Villaviciosa. ‘There will be two types of ticket: a single ticket for the whole day and a master ticket, in which the participant, in addition to the above, will be able to have dinner and socialise with the ambassadors of the day’, explained Fernández, who has been in charge of the Promise Soccer by Marcelino campus for the last few years. In addition to top-level presentations, participants will have exclusive access to a database of exercises and unique methodology sessions for their training and use, as well as the chance to attend a dinner with the congress ambassadors. There will also be an internal competition among the participants, the prize of which will be to experience first-hand a week of training with the Villarreal CF coach. The countdown to a unique event – tickets for which are already on sale – has begun.
‘After all these years of experience, we thought that we could combine and strengthen everything we have been doing in the campus with a day in which we could exchange knowledge of football and also of the business world,’ explained Marcelino. The coach announced the event accompanied by the mayor of Villaviciosa, Alejandro Vega, and Gilberto Prado, a member of the Asturian Football Federation.
One of the organisers of the event, Samuel Fernández, said that they hope to attract around a thousand people to the Asturian town during the month of June thanks to this training event on leadership and management, in which leading figures from football and business in Spain will share experiences and learning. This is the coach’s new commitment to his municipality, Villaviciosa, which has already hosted the Promise Soccer training camp for the last nine years, bringing together more than 300 promising football players every year.
Marcelino García Toral, Villarreal coach and sponsor of the event, was satisfied with the positive dynamic of the club under the direction of his coaching staff. With the team in fifth position and level on points with Betis, the Asturian coach valued the evolution of the ‘yellow submarine’ despite the last defeat against Real Madrid, in a match in which he considered that his team deserved a better result. ‘We are frankly satisfied. The results are good and the game is satisfactory, after an extensive reshuffle of the squad. Let’s see if we can now face the next two months with a lot of enthusiasm and ambition, to compete and fight for the maximum in each of the games to come. Now there are direct rivals and it will be important to win those games. To finish in the Champions League places would be a great climax and a joy,’ said the coach, who hopes for a good campaign for Athletic in the Europa League, as that could help the fifth-placed team to reach the top
Enthusiasm and no expiry date
On the other hand, he did not hide his disappointment at the situation of Sporting Gijón, who last year fought for promotion through the playoffs, but this year it is more complicated. ‘I’m a bit disappointed because you always think, believe and want Sporting to be at the top of the table like last season, but it seems that this one is not going to be possible,’ said Marcelino, who also wished for a better dynamic for Real Oviedo, as happened in his time as a player.
However, he valued Rubén Albés’ work at the helm of the team and stressed that the Red and Whites “are almost always competitive, although they lacked a bit of success to turn those draws into wins”, highlighting the lack of determination in the penalty area as a key problem.
Marcelino did not dodge questions about his future. ‘I still see myself not coaching when I reach 70… but I’m close to 60 and I think we’ll continue a few more seasons as long as they trust this coaching staff. Sometimes I think I’m looking forward to retirement, but I also think I’d be bored to death if I didn’t work. The best thing is to focus on the day to day and enjoy it. I am very happy where I am working. Now I have a good team, good leaders, good human relations and a great desire to finish as high as possible,’ he said, denying that the national team is a medium-term objective.
Finally, he made a statement about a possible return to Gijón: ‘I would only return to Sporting if I am fully convinced of success. If it doesn’t work out, I wouldn’t forgive myself because it’s my home’.
Unmissable event in Villaviciosa
FutbolFy Congress will bring together leading names from the world of football and business on Tuesday 24 June at the Riera Theatre in Villaviciosa. ‘There will be two types of ticket: a single ticket for the whole day and a master ticket, in which the participant, in addition to the above, will be able to have dinner and socialise with the ambassadors of the day’, explained Fernández, who has been in charge of the Promise Soccer by Marcelino campus for the last few years.
In addition to top-level presentations, participants will have exclusive access to a database of exercises and unique methodology sessions for their training and use, as well as the chance to attend a dinner with the congress ambassadors. There will also be an internal competition among the participants, the prize of which will be to experience first-hand a week of training with the Villarreal CF coach. The countdown to a unique event – tickets for which are already on sale – has begun. In addition to top-level presentations, participants will have exclusive access to a database of exercises and unique methodology sessions for their training and use, as well as the chance to attend a dinner with the congress ambassadors. There will also be an internal competition among the participants, the prize of which will be to experience first-hand a week of training with the Villarreal CF coach. The countdown to a unique event – tickets for which are already on sale – has begun.