Chino Benítez, angry after Boca's scandalous elimination: "If the president enters your locker room, you have to resign"

“I was about to go to the bench and a fan stopped me. Then he asked me 'what's wrong, Chino?' I like to keep a low profile, what am I going to say to him? But Boca is like that, you find people in every corner of the country.” The anecdote of Jorge José Benítez is the living testimony of what he means in the life of the xeneize giant. He arrived at 23 years old on the banks of the Riachuelo and became one of the best midfielders in its history. He was a champion of America and the world. Also a coach. He knows the blue and gold cloth, of course.

“I left 15 minutes into the second half. The fans were talking to me and I didn’t want to be hurtful. Boca is about winning and what happened is hard to explain,” reflects Chino , 74, during his visit to Clarín . The cameras turn on and he goes into the one-on-one with honesty, without half measures. “If I were Gago, I would resign today,” he says.

-What is your analysis of Boca's premature elimination from the Libertadores?

-The analysis has to start earlier. First, you are not playing the quarter-finals, you are playing the play-off of the play-off. And if you think about it deeply, the problem has been going on for a long time, everything starts at the top, where there is always someone responsible.

-When you say that the problems come from above, do you mean Juan Román Riquelme? Do you think he has more responsibility for Gago?

-No, no... The first person responsible is the coach. Because if the president comes into your dressing room, you have to resign. It happened to me, I experienced it. They wanted to put together a team for me and I said no, I'm going back to the lower divisions and that's it. When I had to manage Boca, if you remember well, the president wanted to bring me three players. Did you see them? No, I decide who joins the squad.

-So, do you think Gago should have left after Riquelme entered the locker room?

-I don't know, if I were Gago I would have already left.

-It was not the only time that Roman invaded the sacred ground of coaches. It happened with Russo, Battaglia, Ibarra, Almiron and Diego Martinez.

-The president has to call you and speak to you in the office, in private. Because if not, you lose credibility with the players. The team will say: “Look how they handle the coach.”

-Did Riquelme's attitude undermine Gago's power?

-Sure. I was a player, I have lived in teams and it is uncomfortable for a manager to give an opinion, beyond what Román was. And I am going to divide this. I am not going to criticize Román as a manager because I do not know the role. What I do know is what I see. Even if the president is Riquelme, or whatever his name is, he cannot enter the locker room. No, call him alone or wait and meet with him during the week. I know what the people of Boca suffer. So, today that situation weighs on Fernando, beyond the fact that we can analyze the errors he made.

-In short, what percentage of the responsibility does Gago have?

-The coach is 70% responsible. The players do what you plan for the week. Today you don't have much time to train, but if you are a good draftsman, I'll take the board from you and even though I don't have time to try it out on the field, you'll understand.

-Now, what is Gago's fault if Cavani, who has more than 700 goals, fails under the goal in the last minute?

-None of them have one. But give me Cavani in my team. If I were the coach, he would always play. In 1981, Miguel Brindisi was a great finisher, but he could make mistakes. The good thing about Fernando is that he believed and still believes in Cavani. And I don't know how he will perform afterwards, but it could happen. Great strikers also make mistakes.

-Is Riquelme making a mistake in his coaching profile? Boca was always “egg, egg, egg”, as the crowd sings, a more direct team, that cornered you.

-Boca lost the trick. I'll beat you, no matter how. And the people, too.

-Yes, he went from mud and cheating to being well-groomed. Boca is not like that. And I'm not referring to Gago's appearance. A coach told me " the second team is not listed in the Cup. What does it say? Runner-up? No, the Copa Libertadores says champion."

-You're talking about Toto Lorenzo, who also said, "If they want toys, they should go to the toy store."

-So, forget it... Many say that many years have passed, that it is history. And no, it has not happened. I live it every day in the street, today you may not see a Boca fan wearing the shirt, or maybe you will, because it is unique. I lock the players up for 20 days. On top of that, they concentrate in a five-star hotel. We did it in La Candela. There was no telephone.

-What is your assessment of Marchesín's change?

-Fernando's gesture is that of a person who was surprised. That's why I think it wasn't planned. Maybe they talked to (Cristian) Muñoz, who is the goalkeeping coach, because Brey had been saving penalties. If you ask me what you would say to Marchesín, the first thing would be: "What's wrong with you?" The coach is participating in the conversation, not gesticulating. He's a guy with experience. It could have gone well, penalties are luck.

-It makes me think so. I don't know if the word is wrinkled. I can't believe it. You have to think that there was a talk during the week.

-When you saw Gago with his eyes fixed on the ground, avoiding watching the penalty shoot-out, what did it generate for you?

-Insecurity. A coach gesticulates while he wins. Look at what he does when he loses. Where does he hide? He wants to go to the stands.

-I think this has been going on for a while, even under Martínez. Boca gets disorganized very quickly, no one finds their place. That's Boca. Today that's a disorganized team.

-What do you think of Riquelme's management?

-I can't talk about his role as president, because I don't know him. I can talk about football.

-In that sense, was Gago well chosen?

-I think that nobody wants to come and that is an issue that the Football Council has to resolve. Someone has to solve it because it cannot be. There are no more Basiles. There is Russo, although he will not want to return. But there is no longer that hierarchy. I respect the kids of today, but it is very difficult, especially Boca. First, you have to have a strong, important name with personality. And today, it has already been proven that if in four years they do not want to come... Maybe they will not get the money they want.

-How do you get Alan Velasco back?

-I let him think for a while and I sit down to talk to him. These are not days to be on top of the player. It's just a calm conversation without shouting, without aggression. Because, damn, the situation is difficult.

-The fans have been seen to be very nervous in recent days. Against Aldosivi and Alianza Lima. They chanted against the players, even covering up La Doce.

-I spend a lot of time at the club, I go to the Mutual, I meet up with the lads who played with me, or with some fan club, like the one in Chascomús, we were talking about it the other day. I have never seen the fans so divided. People have changed. Before, there were elections, the president changed, but the feeling was the same. Today, some wish Boca would not qualify so that Riquelme would leave. And I say this sincerely, I have never experienced that. And I had presidents from Alberto J. Armando to Antonio Alegre.

-Is there a crack in the stands?

-I don't know if the word is "rift." There is a lot of pain. I don't call it anger. It's pain. And I think that it has to be calmed down. We have to come down to earth. Be honest, lock ourselves away and not talk about it anymore. And work like that. And if they have to lock him away until the Club World Cup.