José Castro appears in front of the media

The Club

JOSÉ CASTRO: "MY DEBT TO SEVILLA FC IS ZERO"

20/07/2017

Speaking on the subject of Vitolo, the President made it clear that "we will go against all plaintiffs, because Sevilla FC has to be respected"

José Castro faced the media as he left the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán this afternoon, after acknowledging that the board of directors hadn't met as scheduled today: "it's been moved to tomorrow, because José María del Nido Carrasco, who today isn't on the board due to resigning last week, didn't want to leave. It's impossible for him to come back, because he resigned irrevocably on his own account, at his own discretion".

On whether he has given an explanation following the accusations made against him in the press, he assured all that "there's been nothing to explain because there hasn't been a meeting, but yes I'll give some explanation. It's been said that I owed three hundred thousand euros to the club and I must stress my debt to Sevilla FC is zero. The credibility man who has said that is no secret and he's used a press pass at maches to avoid paying for the season ticket. The documentation that he has is from February and in my club account, which a lot of board members also have, the debt is zero".

As for the subject of the legal action, he affirmed that "it's ridiculous. They are three cases about human error on the part of the club's staff. They're three cases which were handled poorly and it's ridiculous". What's more, he wanted to give details on the stadium lighting contract: "That's something I want to explain very clearly. Four offers were received for video scoreboards and the stadium's interior lighting. Of those four offers, one was a business I work closely with and was the best option. It was approved by the Executive Committee and the Board, including José María del Nido Carrasco".

"The meeting has been postponed until tomorrow"

Castro was also asked whether the timing of the development of this issue was appropriate: "What surprises me is that this is happening with an entity which works as well as this one, with zero debt and several years of economic benefits and sporting importance. I can't understand it. Things will have to be set in motion at the Shareholders' Meeting, but beyond that I don't know, nor does anyone else, and it's not good for the organisation. If this club works well it's because a lot of people, including me, have worked very hard for stability. To destabilise things would be terrible".

When he was asked for a message to the fans, he reassured all that "the supporters are intelligent and they know that the club is better than ever, that we are building a good team and that money will be invested in the squad for the sevillistas to enjoy. There are no problems and whoever wants to cause one, go right ahead and try". Moreover, he admitted feeling strong "because there are no reasons not to. The club is better than ever and if someone wants to cause problems, it will be their responsibility".

To end, he gave his opinion on the subject of Vitolo: "The meeting hasn't been held, but I can state that we're gong to fight against all plaintiffs, without a shadow of a doubt, because Sevilla FC has to be respected".