Club Sport Emelec has one more game – it will be a formality, this Sunday against Deportivo Cuenca – to end a disastrous season. The Blues avoided closing their dreadful campaign with a first team no-show for that clash at the George Capwell Stadium. The previous Friday, the players refused to train and after a discussion in the center of the field in the Los Samanes complex, they retreated to the locker room. It was a way of protesting because the management was late with salary payments.

The millionaire footballers, according to a leak of information that appeared inside the team, if they did not receive their salaries, they would have the intention not to concentrate and there was even a risk that they would not show up to play against Azuayos, which would imply financial sanctions for the team. institution, except loss of points.

However, Emelec will take to the Capwell pitch this Sunday (18:00) and are focused. This was reported by the electrical press department, which explained this: “The agreed values ​​have been canceled today (Friday); “The banking process caused a delay which has already been corrected.”

Has a team of Emelec players ever decided not to show up for a match? There is a precedent in this matter and, as now, everything happened because the management was late in fulfilling its obligations.

strike in 1982

On Friday, August 6, 1982, the Emelec footballers announced that they were on strike and that 48 hours later they would not see October 9 if the millionaire leaders did not pay them at least one of the four fortnightly debts. “We made every effort to get the money to pay the players, but it was not possible. All the doors were closed to us (…), the uncertain situation of the Football Commission prevents us from fulfilling the wishes of the footballers, the leader Cesáreo Carrera told Diario EL UNIVERSO.

The Blues, led by Uruguayan Juan Eduardo Hohberg, did not show up at the Los Chirijos Stadium in Milagro. The Ecuadorian Football Association fined Emelec 100,000 sucres for that absence, declared him a 2-0 loser and two points went to the Octubrinos. The strikers were harassed in the media for demanding payment of wages. They were called “rebels”, they were accused of having “no affection for the currency” and according to the directive, thanks to the strike, “renovation” was undertaken, which in reality was not like that.

The Emelec project collapsed very quickly in 1982 because the managers miscalculated and halfway through they did not have the means to sustain it financially. They have signed Ecuador defenders Figueroa – who has returned after a couple of successful campaigns in the Quito league – and Emilio Huayamabe, from 9 October. Midfielders Juan Ramón Silva (Uruguayan, from Universidad Católica) and José Cabrera (Argentine, Copa Libertadores champion with Nacional from Montevideo, 1980) and Uruguayan striker Daniel Godoy from San Lorenzo arrived. Employment of Emelecists continued.

The players paid well

Mario Ortiz, Pedro Bejarano, Enrique Cordero and Pedro Pablo Batallas arrived from Bonita Banana, from Machala. They joined the base consisting of Lupo Quiñónez, Jesús Cárdenas, José Marcelo Rodríguez, Luis Alonso Chest Torres, Stalino Sánchez, Juan Pastor Paredes, Wellington Valdez, Xavier Delgado Pineda and others.

On 19 August 1982, after two weeks, ten strikers gave in to the manager’s terms to return to the team. Incredibly, the Emelec footballers have taken over the payment of the fine for not appearing before October 9, among other fines with which the management reduced the amount owed. There were definitely different times.

Before reaching that strange ‘solution’, Emelec faced the then super-power Portoviejo league of Mariano Biondi, Arístides Rodríguez, Omar Marchese, Orly Klínger, Ramón Márquez, Lorenzo Klínger and other personalities, in the old Capwell, which had only tribune San Martín, at that time dilapidated.

Consequences

Since its main footballers are on strike, several young people (but not of youth age) and also some veterans like goalkeeper Enrique were registered to receive the league. Chinese Aguirre and striker Félix Sabando. In addition, Argentines José Lorant and Julio Bulacio were the first to reduce unemployment. On August 15, 1982, Emelec drew 0 with Manabites.

Interim coach Eduardo Macías named Aguirre; Jimmy Rivas, Jorge Triviño, Lorant, Freddy Jurado; William Guerrero, Jaime Ron, Bulacio; Sabando (Gustavo Barzola), Mauricio Hurtado (Wagner Francis), Raúl Sánchez.

After the strike, Lupo Quiñónez, José Marcelo Rodríguez, Stalino Sánchez, Emilio Huayamabe, among other footballers who did not accept the agreement with the managers, did not return to Emelec. (D)