River y Students they dispute the Argentine Super Cup at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium, in Córdoba. There were several previous greetings and everyone’s eyes pointed to what it would be like. Martin Demichelis, River coach, with Enzo Perez, formerly coached by the Córdoba player and current Pincha player, due to rumors of a bad relationship between both. The images spoke for themselves.
After the National Anthem was played and the two teams took pre-match photos, Pérez went to the millionaire team’s substitute bench to greet his former teammates and the coaching staff. When he arrived, the first to greet was Demichelis. The coach was sitting, arms crossed and looking to the side, and when he saw Pérez he seemed surprised. They gave just a handshake and they said something as they passedwith certain coldness.
Then, the Estudiantes midfielder continued greeting everyone who was in the bank, as Javier Pinola and Germán Lux, Demichelis assistants, and the footballers with whom he shared the squad until the end of last year. With them he played, for example, the Champions Trophy against Rosario Central in Santiago del Estero.
Given this situation, the inevitable question arises, when and how did the conflict between Pérez and Demichelis arise? Why did they go from hugging each other effusively when they were champions of the Professional League to not having dialogue?
Contrary to the version that focuses on the coach’s conversations with several journalists in different rounds of informal talks, the problem had its starting point in the first half of August 2023, when River was eliminated from the Libertadores by Inter in Porto Happy after the extensive penalty shootout.
After the home win in the first leg, when asked what else the decisive Pablo Solari had to do to be a starter, Demichelis answered journalist Paulo Filippini in a totally atypical way for a coach. “Who do I bring out? Tell me a name. Who do you take out? Tell me who you take out. Are you taking Nacho out? Go tell Nacho. “He is the brain of the team,” responded the coach, who effectively ended up relegating Fernández for the rematch, a fact that after that phrase aroused anger among the referents, led by Pérez, who began to look askance at Demichelis, his former teammate in the Argentine team runner-up in the world in Brazil 2014.
The matter deepened when Demichelis held two informal meetings with those journalists closest to River’s coverage and part of the content of those talks reached the ears of both the captain and the other experienced footballers, who tolerated fewer actions from the coach every day. .
On Saturday, August 26, a few hours before visiting the Vélez field, where River had a terrible performance and lost 2 to 0, the conflict broke out. From then on, although there were various attempts to rebuild the relationship that existed at the beginning, nothing was the same, especially for Pérez.
In addition to those situations that became impossible to make up for and that no one behind closed doors makes an effort to deny as happened at the beginning, one of the points that bothered the locker room leader is linked to the fight for financial prizes, an issue in which the DT, without the back of his predecessor in office, chose not to intervene.
The sum listed resulted in there being no return on the part of the player. Demichelis wanted to get closer, but it was impossible for him to regain Enzo’s trust.
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