On January 31, Ricardo Schlieper decided to step aside.
Only 23 days had passed since he had taken over as Undersecretary of Sports.
The arrival of Daniel Scioli to the government of Javier Milei
changed everything
.
It was known that the former motorcyclist was planning to return to Buenos Aires and leave the Argentine embassy in Brazil.
And when the Government presented him as the new Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports, Schlieper slammed the door.
"You are the ones who know; I come to add from my political place," Schlieper told those who immediately stood by his side to accompany him due to their
lack of experience in social and high-performance sports
.
He went to the 100th anniversary dinner of the Argentine Olympic Committee, he was at the Olympia Awards ceremony, he sought to surround himself with suitable people and that is why Diógenes de Urquiza (former sports strongman in the Macrista government) appeared as general director of the Entity. Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo (ENARD) and Daniel Ridao left his "exile" in Paraguay, where he spent two years as an advisor in the organization of the South American Games in Asunción first and then as an advisor to the Minister of Sports of that country, and returned to Buenos Aires to be his second.
Schlieper's mission was clear and almost unique: to convince football leaders and
fight for sports corporations
, a goal of Milei and an old desire of Mauricio Macri.
The rest, from high performance to social sports, would be taken care of by De Urquiza, Ridao and their respective work teams.
With a formally headless undersecretary,
Julio Garro immediately appeared on the scene to take Schlieper's place
.
44 long days of uncertainty passed and although during the entire period he worked in his office on the third floor of the National High Performance Sports Center, it was only this Friday, March 15, that the former mayor of La Plata, promoted by Mauricio Macri (like Schlieper), was appointed undersecretary by decree 249/2024.
Garro, who lost the last election for mayor of La Plata with Julio Alak by just 606 votes -, has no specific link with the sport beyond having
played rugby for the San Luis club and leading a Boca affiliate in his city
.
And this is worrying considering that, for example, he could be the president of ENARD -he or Scioli should be until March of next year when the presidency is in the hands of the head of the Argentine Olympic Committee-, furthermore.
A very powerful source from ENARD, precisely, suggested that "Garro's arrival is very good for us because
he understands a lot about politics, about management, and that is good
."
But, "what will happen to the sport," asked
Clarín
.
"High performance is in charge of ENARD and Ridao, who is a man with a lot of experience in the Olympics and in public service, is his right-hand man," was the response.
That Garro will deepen the Mileista-Macrista intention for the clubs to become sports societies is not a secret.
Although many these days compared him to Schlieper and did not leave him in a very good light.
"Schlieper knew a thing or two about the subject and this one plays more by ear. He doesn't have much idea about the mess of football. Although he is a lawyer and a corporation, he must know...", said another source who follows the day-to-day life of the sport. Argentinian for a long time.
However, that task was left on
standby for now
.
Although the possibility for clubs to become public limited companies was in the DNU that remains in force despite the rejection that was voted on Thursday in the Senate, the measure also suffered a judicial setback.
The same day, the Federal Chamber of San Martín confirmed the precautionary measure requested by a Jumping league to suspend the articles of the DNU linked to the creation of Sports Joint Stock Companies.
Beyond this specific situation, Garro's arrival did not sit well with people with extensive experience in high-performance sports.
"It is
a consolation prize
for having narrowly lost the elections in La Plata. They will have him visible for a year and he will appear on the list of candidates for deputies in the legislative elections," said one who is still in the structure of the National sport.
"Perhaps it will be useful for Minister Guillermo Francos to do politics with the provinces because
he does not lack experience in that field
. But in sports, nothing. It is one more example of the complete disinterest that this government has in sports," shot another who He already works in the private sector.
In short, underfunded Argentine sport needs urgent management.
There is no longer any talk about the preparation of athletes heading for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will begin in four months.
The point of the discussion lies elsewhere.
And it is very far from happening.