«It was difficult for me to assume that I would not race in Formula 1, to give it up, to find another way. But there comes a point where you have to know where you belong”, acknowledges Dani Juncadella, the last Spanish rider to be one step away from the World Cup.. In the lower categories he accumulated titles -Formula 3 and the Macau Grand Prix-, in 2014 he was a reserve driver for Force India and the following year he was about to debut in the championship. He lacked a godfather or sponsor. And his childhood dream is gone. Today he is a Mercedes driver in endurance and touring car races and his story is the best example that meritocracy does not decide who makes it to the Great Circus.

The 20 drivers who will contest the race in Canada this Sunday (8:00 p.m., DAZN) have the skills to be where they are, but several of them rose thanks to their families and portfolios.. “There are two paths: that the head of a Formula 1 team falls in love with you, with your way of driving, with your professionalism for what you have done in lower categories or that your father is a billionaire or a person with influence,” he explains. Juncadella, who exemplifies that difficulty to climb in the Brazilian Felipe Drugovich. Last year he swept Formula 2, but he did not receive the contract that his former rival Logan Sargeant has, for example, fourth in the last year in the Formula 1 prelude.

Looking at Spain, in the post-Fernando Alonso era, Jaime Alguersuari, Carlos Sainz and Roberto Merhi have managed to debut while Juncadella or Dani Clos have not.. Awaiting is, at the moment, Álex Palou. “Motor racing is the most unfair sport there is.. Talent helps, it generates possibilities, but the budget you can generate is more important and the teams in which you run in lower categories also have an influence, “says Facundo Regalia, a former Argentine driver, who was also a tester for Force India in 2014 and stayed no official premiere. «I missed that step: that someone bet on me. I got to meet with the then president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner, I went to Dubai to meet Diego Armando Maradona because he was interested, I visited many companies, but in the end no one took the step,” he recalls.

first thing, improve

That is why Regalia is now the drivers' manager and directs the race of kids who aspire to Formula 1, like Mari Boya, one of the two Spanish drivers in Formula 3 -along with Pepe Martí-. How to help them? «The first thing is to improve their driving, guide them in physical and mental work. For example, we are installing a simulator at Mari's house so that she can work at all times.. Then there is the work with the sponsors. In Spain right now there is a road because there is a Grand Prix, two very prominent drivers in Formula 1…. It is a challenge, but we must find interested companies”, concludes Regalia and emphasizes a maxim: pessimism cannot overcome the young pilot. “Getting there is difficult, but you always have to try,” he says.

In his mind that Boya reaches Formula 1 in 2026. Before he must get on podiums in Formula 3 -at the moment he has a sixth place as the best result- and convince some of the teams in the premier category, which mostly have driver academies. «I have realized that everything I have earned in karting is absolutely useless.. I have to stand out in Formula 3 and find a place for myself in a school this year or the next”, acknowledges Boya himself, 19, with amazing clarity about his career.. «My goal is Formula 1 and until I see that it really is impossible, I will fight hard to get there.. If not, I hope to be a professional pilot, resistance, whatever, “he adds.

Born in Les, in the Val d'Aran, very close to the border with France, all the children in his area dedicated themselves to skiing and mountaineering, but he was always devoted to the motor. So much so that at the age of five they changed the pacifier that he did not let go of for a trial motorcycle. So much so that he did not miss a Fernando Alonso race at Ferrari and insisted on going karting, even if it was far from home. As the Spanish kart champion in several categories, he won a scholarship to live and train at the Sant Cugat High Performance Center (CAR) and little by little he rose to where he is today: he is two steps away from Formula 1. but what two steps. «I am not deluded, I know that there are 20 seats and that I may not arrive. But I also know that if they give me the opportunity I can do it”, Boya concludes.

Mikel Merino (Pamplona) comes in flip flops and socks, excusable as a footballer who recovers just over 12 hours after a demanding match. In the sports city of Twente, internationals come and go in search of their journalist, and Mikel has had EL MUNDO. Friendly, extremely polite, he escapes the classic image of a footballer tense in front of a tape recorder and jokes with whatever it takes. Son of a professional soccer player, 'mad' of Formula 1 (it is known, like almost everyone in the World Cup, the Canadian circuit where Fernando Alonso runs this Sunday thanks to the simulator that has been installed at home), Merino, one of the De la Fuente's firmest bets, talks about everything before facing Croatia tonight in search of a title.

What routines do you have after the games? It's always hard for me to sleep a lot, because we drink caffeine and carbohydrate gels before the game. So when I get home I eat as much dinner as I can fit in my body, I drink a lot of water and I usually put on a pressotherapy machine with my legs raised to try to empty them as soon as possible, and while I'm doing that, I take the opportunity to watch the game on repeat.. Then I'll take a sleeping pill. Do you have to take a sleeping pill? Yes, because if not, I might get four or five in the morning and that can't be. I sleep late, but at least I try to sleep six or seven hours. Try to be around two or three in the morning. Do you live with your partner? Because he's going to leave him if he does that after every game… The good thing I have is that I have a spectacular partner, who knows my profession and my passion very well. In fact, she is the first one who, if one day I break a rule, if one day I do, slaps me and says: 'hey, be careful with this'. Is it the same one with which you trained carrying it on your shoulders for the pandemic? Yes, the Koala thing and that… What do you remember about the pandemic? To tell you the truth, I have a good memory. Most people have a bittersweet or negative memory, and it's obvious that it was a drama, but I always try to see the positive side of things, and it was the first experience of living with my partner.. We went from seeing each other from time to time to living 24 hours locked up. It was a cool experience. I also took the opportunity to learn a bit about cooking, making desserts, cakes… Ufff! What a litmus test for the couple… Yes, yes. We knew we were in a good moment…Yeah, but they needed to confirm it with a good match, right? He speaks as if he were at a press conference. Yes, yes, that. It had to be confirmed, and it is never easy. You usually start little by little, getting together for two days, a weekend… But no, this was to live together directly, and living together, where many couples are shipwrecked, because it went very well for us. We're still here, so it's been good. What's your best dish? I make very good couscous, with vegetables, peppers and salmon. I like it.

“There are good people here”Well, football. What remains of the game against Italy? Very good feeling. In the elite, victory is very important, and when you win a semifinal and have a title a stone's throw away, the feeling is unbeatable. People can be very happy with how this team is performing. Where is Spain today? Without a doubt, we are on top. I couldn't say which step, but this team can compete against any team. We have beaten a powerful Italy, and that reaffirms me in this thought. Maybe we are not Iniesta's or Xavi's team, but there are very good players, with a great future and a great present. On Thursday morning there were quite a few people who asked what the team was playing and against whom. Do you feel that detachment? Personally I feel a lot of encouragement and attachment from the fans, because I live it and I am a player, of course. can be understandable. The Nations is relatively new, people are used to a World Cup or a Euro Cup, there are two separate games, at the end of the year…. People still find it a little difficult to follow the thread, but we feel spectacular support. Matches like the one in Italy help. How have you seen De la Fuente before and after the match? I have been lucky enough to live with him for a long time, we have both followed the same process and we have spent many hours together. I have seen him serene, calm, despite what the press has reported, he has continued in his thirteen. He has never doubted, and that has strengthened us a lot. When you see that there are doubts outside, but you see the leader so serene, so calm…. that gives you peace and tranquility. Do you read the press or listen to the radio? I try not to listen to anything or read anything. In the end there are things that come to you, of course, but I try to isolate myself. Personally, the opinion that matters most to me is that of mine, of my father, who knows what this is about, and that of those of us who know about this: players, coaches…

“Leave the children alone” Does having a father who was professional help or hurt? [Her father is Miguel Merino, a player for Osasuna, Celta and Las Palmas in the 90s]. It has helped me. When I was little, he has never been on top of me. My mother forbade him to give me balls because she didn't want that to be a pressure for me, but there was a time when I was stealing balls from other children on the street, and then yes, then my mother let him buy me a ball. avoid jail then. Well almost almost! And from there it has always been an advantage. I have someone who has walked the path that I am walking now. He knows just by looking at me how I am. After the matches we always talk about the individual, the collective… That passion comes from my father. What would you say to the parents of the children who play soccer? Leave the children alone. That they leave them alone, that they enjoy themselves, that they have a good time with friends. My father had the authority to tell me things, and in my years as a child he never said anything to me. He let the coach rule. Do you think there is a lot of nonsense in football? It certainly exists, but it is what is demanded. These kinds of things are very popular today. The tik-tok, the short video. On the one hand, I am sure that lovers of old football will not be very amused, but you have to adapt to what society demands. Do you have social networks? Yes, I do, but I use them carefully because we are in a time where there is a lot of hate and desire to hurt. I use Instagram because it is a slightly less hurtful network, the content is more visual and has less interaction. I also like to be in contact with the fans. Let them see me and know about me.

“I have my studies parked” How do you live being so young and being a reference for children, in this case in Donosti? I'm thinking of Grealish and his drunkenness…If you think about it, I have a modus operandi marked by how I am, by what I do. There are certain behaviors that I have to avoid because I am a reference for many of those who see me.. You have to be aware of it. If you can avoid certain behaviors, the better. In summer, I also have my friends to have a few drinks and enjoy, but I try to do it in places where I can't be seen and can't be seen giving a negative example.. Sure, you see Grealish do everything he does, and a 10-year-old English kid might think that's okay.. That of course the kid has every right to celebrate the Champions League, but it is true that we are very exposed! What did he learn in Germany and England? A lot. They are the two experiences that have marked me the most to be the person I am. I had good times, I met new people, but there were other bad times, not being with my parents, learning to do everything on my own…. I was a very young boy and spend moments alone, that you are not playing at all, that your parents are not there to give you advice, to talk for a while…. I learned a lot. The same were not the experiences to put into a fairy tale of princes and princesses, but they helped me. On Sunday he will play or watch F1, of which he is a fan. I really like sports in general, and Formula 1. I started to see it when I was little, with Alonso in Renault. Now I bought the game, I bought a simulator. At home at night, when my partner allows me, I go out for a few runs. I spend hours there, I do circuits, I know them, I like to watch the races. Is the famous 33 close? Near and far at the same time. He has a competitive car, but Red Bull goes by plane. Are you studying anything? Back in the day I finished high school and the Selectividad. INEF caught my attention, but I decided to put all the eggs in the soccer basket, I thought that if I had to study I could later, but the soccer train only passes once. Football demands a lot from me mentally, and now coming home and having to start studying is an effort that would not allow me to give 100% where I really want to give it, which is football.. I have studies a little apart. In all this, they play against Croatia, how do you see it? I expect a very tough match. They have a lot of individual quality, well-rounded veterans and they compete very well. It is a very tough team to beat. It doesn't matter if you get ahead, even 2-0, they will continue with their plan. And those are the beautiful matches, with top teams and players, and you have to show that you're worth it to be here.

In September 2021, Joel Domínguez had just turned 17 and had not even made his debut in the RFEF Third Division with the UD Las Palmas C team. At that time, this youth squad player, one of the most talented promises of the yellow club, began a relationship with a 15-year-old teenager whom we will call Eva here, a fan of the ball since she was little and the great-niece of a historic Canarian soccer player.. What could have been a naive love, so impregnated with the magic of the first time, soon deteriorated until it degenerated into an abusive relationship.. Today, despite a firm conviction and two other cases pending with the Justice, Joel is preparing to start the preseason with UD Las Palmas, recently promoted to First Division, while Eva -who is not called Eva- fights to get out of hell and continue with a life already torn apart forever.

On March 5, 24 hours after playing 35 minutes with the Las Palmas youth team, Joel's fate would also turn fatally. That Sunday he was arrested at his home in Tamaraceite, where he lives with his mother, after brutally beating Eva. That night, like the next, he would sleep in the dungeon.. Until Tuesday the 7th, the Court for Violence against Women No. 1 of Las Palmas, sentenced him, for a crime of gender violence, to 40 days of community work, one year away and two more without a weapons permit.. He himself had confessed the facts, but the UD did not execute any disciplinary measure against him.

The entity limited itself to emphasizing that the attack had occurred in the “field of her private life”, so the statement did not include a single mention or message of support for Eva. The president of the club, Miguel Ángel Ramírez, also did not allude to the victim on June 9, when he confirmed Domínguez among the footballers who will start working under the orders of Francisco Javier García Pimienta. “If we have not thrown him out, it is because we believe in him sportingly and we understand that he is a player with significant potential,” argued the top yellow shareholder, who already entered 41 million euros between 2017 and 2019 for the transfers of Roque Mesa (Swansea). , Jonathan Viera (Guoan) and Pedri (FC Barcelona).

“Something terrifying”

In light of these facts, the atmosphere on the island has been heating up in recent weeks. And in the crossfire, between explicit denunciations and deafening silences, some questions arise: Does Joel need another chance to rehabilitate himself? What should be the commitment of UD Las Palmas against gender violence? Does the club normalize the presence of a convicted aggressor and with two other open processes, for breach of the restraining order and for psychological violence?

Faced with these issues, Margarita Alejo, Eva's lawyer, offers EL MUNDO the perspective of her defense. “Joel's call for the preseason is something terrifying, because it seems that they are rewarding him,” explains the lawyer, who defines the character of the footballer as “controlling and very jealous.”. “Someone dominant, capable of doing very wild things”. In fact, the psychologists who worked on the investigation diagnosed Eva with traumatic shock, distortion of reality, emotional dependence and Stockholm syndrome.. “At the beginning, what surprised me the most was that he told us that he did not want to upset his football career,” adds Alejo about the minor's struggle to escape the nightmare. That stage over, today Eva has opened her eyes and she keeps repeating to herself: “How could she be so submissive?”. Not uncommon in victims of abuse.

Domínguez, for his part, also envisions other horizons. She has just completed a course on gender violence and can't wait to train with the elders. «Since he was four years old, Joel's life has been football and his dream is to play in the first team. Due to a specific error we are not going to throw the boy's future overboard. Because, if he doesn't play, he doesn't do anything with his life,” Víctor Brito, the man who took over his defense at the end of April to replace José María Aranda, assures this newspaper. «After the bombardment of lies and half truths we have decided to change our strategy. We are not going to shut up. We are going to put everyone in their place, “he warns.

“He made a mistake and was judged”

Alicia Pérez, Domínguez's representative and visible head of the Lilium by APS agency, adds to this reproachful tone. «We are so tired of all this… But I can't tell you more. We will only speak when we manage to clean up our image”, Pérez ditch, very close to the corridors of power of the Nuevo Insular.

According to his own environment, the boy has also suffered episodes of anxiety. He is afraid of going out and receiving insults. Or debut with the first team and be booed by his fans. “He made a mistake and he has already been judged for it.. Now he intends to move on with his life, even if they want to destroy him civilly. He is aware of what happened and his repentance is sincere.. Enough of lynching. Leave him alone, because he has taken note and he is not going to repeat it again, ”Brito proclaims.. About the prematureness of this assessment, it is worth asking the victim's family.

I am not going to speak out of revenge, but to give visibility to a very serious problem that is being tried to whitewash.

Mara López, mother of the victim

Mara López, Eva's mother, attends EL MUNDO after “two days crying and without the strength to see anyone”. “But I am not going to speak out of revenge, but to give visibility to a very serious problem that is being tried to whiten,” starts López, a trained criminologist and worker in a center for minors.. By a tragic wink of fate, Mara has given her life to educate minors at risk of exclusion. Among them, abusers. Today, after a year off work, he still lacks the strength to return to everyday life.. And she can't even pronounce Joel's name. So when referring to Domínguez, he always opts for the same filler. «From the club and from their environment they have promoted a campaign to victimize the young man, who has not made a mistake, but a crime. They talk about reinsertion, but the young man has neither been in prison nor does he have a problem with his surroundings. The young man has to be treated and the board should have forced him to apologize,” López abounds..

When this newspaper asks about the aggressor's regret, the victim's mother reels off a string of shocking episodes. Of recent videos in which Joel makes fun of the mistreatment of others, in the middle of a party, where he makes murky accusations about the nocturnal habits of the Las Palmas first team. “On May 16, he appeared at my mother's house, 83 years old, who lives in a nearby town, screaming with his head out of the car.. And I have not seen that he has apologized, ”reveals Mara.

Joel Domínguez, in the City of Justice of Las Palmas. Elvira Urquijo

The climate of fracture that is palpable in Las Palmas in no way resembles that of a city that should still be swimming in the euphoria of the rise. After trying to obtain, unsuccessfully, the official version of the club, this newspaper made a dozen calls between its clubs. Only three were served. Two of them, to excuse themselves, and the other, to charge harshly against the rest. “I'm only going to say two words: zero tolerance,” reveals JMR, president of Sentimiento Amarillo. A subscriber for 36 years, with the UD shield tattooed on his skin, this supporter of the club considers that the rest of the groups are limited to “continuing calmly”, to the tune set by the president. Ramírez, a humble guy who started selling fruit in a van and became a millionaire with the private security business, has never left anyone indifferent.. Joel's case is the latest example.

“Last summer we also wanted to talk to the club, but they didn't receive us.. Through a common acquaintance, we passed them the messages my daughter had on her mobile, but they told us she was a minor and they couldn't do anything,” Mara recalls.. “It is evident that Ramírez has no interest in the victim, but neither in the young man.. I am very sorry that he has to be so exposed to whistles when he receives the ball, “concludes López.

“Shoves, kicks and strong hold”

Yesterday, Domínguez spoke for the first time about the events, in an interview for the newspaper Tiempo de Canarias. In it, he was “very sorry” and claimed to have “learned” from the mistake. He also apologized to his victim, whom he admitted to having given a “push”. A somewhat sweetened version of what can be read in the sentence signed by Judge Luis Fernando Ocaña García, to which this newspaper has had access.

In his proven facts, Ocaña declares that the soccer player, “moved by the purpose of causing an impairment to the physical integrity of the victim,” gave him “several blows in the form of shoving, kicking, and forcefully holding his shoulders.”. Likewise, the magistrate maintains that the minor “did not want to report, did not testify against her partner in the Violence Court, did not want to be recognized by the forensic doctor or take criminal and civil actions against the defendant.”

If from a referent like the UD this matter is whitewashed, what reaction can we expect among the citizens?

Mey Ung, president of the Young Women Association of Gran Canaria

“My daughter did not want to be explored because at that time she was still defending her attacker,” says López. “If we can finally recover the deleted conversations from their cell phones, one can read: “Because of you I broke a finger,” “reveals the mother, with a vivid memory, without ever losing sight of the decisive intervention, as a witness, of a plainclothes policeman. And Joel's kicks, with her on the floor, “lifting her up by the hair, pushing her against the phones and putting her inside.”

The mother's story causes more than outrage among feminist groups on the island. “All this causes us a lot of astonishment and rejection,” says Mey Ung, president of the Association of Young Women of Gran Canaria, Ágora Violeta.. “We do not understand how a great value generator, like UD, rewards a convicted player, promoting him to the first team and withdraws any show of support for the victim himself.. If from a referent of this magnitude you whitewash this matter, what reaction can we expect among the citizens? ”, asks Ung.

To the criticisms against his management, Ramírez will have to add the tangled judicial horizon that awaits him in the coming weeks. Besieged since October 2020, when the Prosecutor's Office asked him for 21 years in prison and a fine of 105.4 million euros for five crimes against the Public Treasury and three more against Social Security, the president of UD Las Palmas must sit in the bench on the 4th of july. Just six days later, Joel will train for the first time with the first team at the Ciudad Deportiva.

In September 2021, Joel Domínguez had just turned 17 and had not even made his debut in the RFEF Third Division with the UD Las Palmas C team. At that time, this youth squad player, one of the most talented promises of the yellow club, began a relationship with a 15-year-old teenager whom we will call Eva here, a fan of the ball since she was little and the great-niece of a historic Canarian soccer player.. What could have been a naive love, so impregnated with the magic of the first time, soon deteriorated until it degenerated into an abusive relationship.. Today, despite a firm conviction and two other cases pending with the Justice, Joel is preparing to start the preseason with UD Las Palmas, recently promoted to First Division, while Eva -who is not called Eva- fights to get out of hell and continue with a life already torn apart forever.

On March 5, 24 hours after playing 35 minutes with the Las Palmas youth team, Joel's fate would also turn fatally. That Sunday he was arrested at his home in Tamaraceite, where he lives with his mother, after brutally beating Eva. That night, like the next, he would sleep in the dungeon.. Until Tuesday the 7th, the Court for Violence against Women No. 1 of Las Palmas, sentenced him, for a crime of gender violence, to 40 days of community work, one year away and two more without a weapons permit.. He himself had confessed the facts, but the UD did not execute any disciplinary measure against him.

The entity limited itself to emphasizing that the attack had occurred in the “field of her private life”, so the statement did not include a single mention or message of support for Eva. The president of the club, Miguel Ángel Ramírez, also did not allude to the victim on June 9, when he confirmed Domínguez among the footballers who will start working under the orders of Francisco Javier García Pimienta. “If we have not thrown him out, it is because we believe in him sportingly and we understand that he is a player with significant potential,” argued the top yellow shareholder, who already entered 41 million euros between 2017 and 2019 for the transfers of Roque Mesa (Swansea). , Jonathan Viera (Guoan) and Pedri (FC Barcelona).

“Something terrifying”

In light of these facts, the atmosphere on the island has been heating up in recent weeks. And in the crossfire, between explicit denunciations and deafening silences, some questions arise: Does Joel need another chance to rehabilitate himself? What should be the commitment of UD Las Palmas against gender violence? Does the club normalize the presence of a convicted aggressor and with two other open processes, for breach of the restraining order and for psychological violence?

Faced with these issues, Margarita Alejo, Eva's lawyer, offers EL MUNDO the perspective of her defense. “Joel's call for the preseason is something terrifying, because it seems that they are rewarding him,” explains the lawyer, who defines the character of the footballer as “controlling and very jealous.”. “Someone dominant, capable of doing very wild things”. In fact, the psychologists who worked on the investigation diagnosed Eva with traumatic shock, distortion of reality, emotional dependence and Stockholm syndrome.. “At the beginning, what surprised me the most was that he told us that he did not want to upset his football career,” adds Alejo about the minor's struggle to escape the nightmare. That stage over, today Eva has opened her eyes and she keeps repeating to herself: “How could she be so submissive?”. Not uncommon in victims of abuse.

Domínguez, for his part, also envisions other horizons. She has just completed a course on gender violence and can't wait to train with the elders. «Since he was four years old, Joel's life has been football and his dream is to play in the first team. Due to a specific error we are not going to throw the boy's future overboard. Because, if he doesn't play, he doesn't do anything with his life,” Víctor Brito, the man who took over his defense at the end of April to replace José María Aranda, assures this newspaper. «After the bombardment of lies and half truths we have decided to change our strategy. We are not going to shut up. We are going to put everyone in their place, “he warns.

“He made a mistake and was judged”

Alicia Pérez, Domínguez's representative and visible head of the Lilium by APS agency, adds to this reproachful tone. «We are so tired of all this… But I can't tell you more. We will only speak when we manage to clean up our image”, Pérez ditch, very close to the corridors of power of the Nuevo Insular.

According to his own environment, the boy has also suffered episodes of anxiety. He is afraid of going out and receiving insults. Or debut with the first team and be booed by his fans. “He made a mistake and he has already been judged for it.. Now he intends to move on with his life, even if they want to destroy him civilly. He is aware of what happened and his repentance is sincere.. Enough of lynching. Leave him alone, because he has taken note and he is not going to repeat it again, ”Brito proclaims.. About the prematureness of this assessment, it is worth asking the victim's family.

I am not going to speak out of revenge, but to give visibility to a very serious problem that is being tried to whitewash.

Mara López, mother of the victim

Mara López, Eva's mother, attends EL MUNDO after “two days crying and without the strength to see anyone”. “But I am not going to speak out of revenge, but to give visibility to a very serious problem that is being tried to whiten,” starts López, a trained criminologist and worker in a center for minors.. By a tragic wink of fate, Mara has given her life to educate minors at risk of exclusion. Among them, abusers. Today, after a year off work, he still lacks the strength to return to everyday life.. And she can't even pronounce Joel's name. So when referring to Domínguez, he always opts for the same filler. «From the club and from their environment they have promoted a campaign to victimize the young man, who has not made a mistake, but a crime. They talk about reinsertion, but the young man has neither been in prison nor does he have a problem with his surroundings. The young man has to be treated and the board should have forced him to apologize,” López abounds..

When this newspaper asks about the aggressor's regret, the victim's mother reels off a string of shocking episodes. Of recent videos in which Joel makes fun of the mistreatment of others, in the middle of a party, where he makes murky accusations about the nocturnal habits of the Las Palmas first team. “On May 16, he appeared at my mother's house, 83 years old, who lives in a nearby town, screaming with his head out of the car.. And I have not seen that he has apologized, ”reveals Mara.

Joel Domínguez, in the City of Justice of Las Palmas. Elvira Urquijo

The climate of fracture that is palpable in Las Palmas in no way resembles that of a city that should still be swimming in the euphoria of the rise. After trying to obtain, unsuccessfully, the official version of the club, this newspaper made a dozen calls between its clubs. Only three were served. Two of them, to excuse themselves, and the other, to charge harshly against the rest. “I'm only going to say two words: zero tolerance,” reveals JMR, president of Sentimiento Amarillo. A subscriber for 36 years, with the UD shield tattooed on his skin, this supporter of the club considers that the rest of the groups are limited to “continuing calmly”, to the tune set by the president. Ramírez, a humble guy who started selling fruit in a van and became a millionaire with the private security business, has never left anyone indifferent.. Joel's case is the latest example.

“Last summer we also wanted to talk to the club, but they didn't receive us.. Through a common acquaintance, we passed them the messages my daughter had on her mobile, but they told us she was a minor and they couldn't do anything,” Mara recalls.. “It is evident that Ramírez has no interest in the victim, but neither in the young man.. I am very sorry that he has to be so exposed to whistles when he receives the ball, “concludes López.

“Shoves, kicks and strong hold”

Yesterday, Domínguez spoke for the first time about the events, in an interview for the newspaper Tiempo de Canarias. In it, he was “very sorry” and claimed to have “learned” from the mistake. He also apologized to his victim, whom he admitted to having given a “push”. A somewhat sweetened version of what can be read in the sentence signed by Judge Luis Fernando Ocaña García, to which this newspaper has had access.

In his proven facts, Ocaña declares that the soccer player, “moved by the purpose of causing an impairment to the physical integrity of the victim,” gave him “several blows in the form of shoving, kicking, and forcefully holding his shoulders.”. Likewise, the magistrate maintains that the minor “did not want to report, did not testify against her partner in the Violence Court, did not want to be recognized by the forensic doctor or take criminal and civil actions against the defendant.”

If from a referent like the UD this matter is whitewashed, what reaction can we expect among the citizens?

Mey Ung, president of the Young Women Association of Gran Canaria

“My daughter did not want to be explored because at that time she was still defending her attacker,” says López. “If we can finally recover the deleted conversations from their cell phones, one can read: “Because of you I broke a finger,” “reveals the mother, with a vivid memory, without ever losing sight of the decisive intervention, as a witness, of a plainclothes policeman. And Joel's kicks, with her on the floor, “lifting her up by the hair, pushing her against the phones and putting her inside.”

The mother's story causes more than outrage among feminist groups on the island. “All this causes us a lot of astonishment and rejection,” says Mey Ung, president of the Association of Young Women of Gran Canaria, Ágora Violeta.. “We do not understand how a great value generator, like UD, rewards a convicted player, promoting him to the first team and withdraws any show of support for the victim himself.. If from a referent of this magnitude you whitewash this matter, what reaction can we expect among the citizens? ”, asks Ung.

To the criticisms against his management, Ramírez will have to add the tangled judicial horizon that awaits him in the coming weeks. Besieged since October 2020, when the Prosecutor's Office asked him for 21 years in prison and a fine of 105.4 million euros for five crimes against the Public Treasury and three more against Social Security, the president of UD Las Palmas must sit in the bench on the 4th of july. Just six days later, Joel will train for the first time with the first team at the Ciudad Deportiva.