“When we arrived in Saprissa we found a disorganised club”

Sergio Guira: “When we arrived in Saprissa we found the club disorganised”

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Published: Thursday, May 30, 2024 11:31

Screenplay by José Pablo Segura Vargas

Saprissa’s sporting manager Sergio Gira analysed the purple club’s current situation after achieving their quadruple goal.

In a wide-ranging interview with Teletica Deportes Radio, the Spanish national leader spoke about his arrival at the purple club, what he discovered and the evolution they have undergone at an institutional level in recent years.

Gila arrived in Saprissa in mid-2021 on the recommendation of his compatriot Ángel Luis Catalina.

In principle, Sergio was appointed as the club’s head of scouting (responsible for scouting for all teams at all levels). After Catarina’s departure in the middle of last year, Gila continued as sports manager.

“When we came to 2021 we had a bad time, we had to change a lot in the club, create a new structure, that’s what they asked of us, there have been difficult moments in sport, now we see everything we have achieved, it satisfies us and everything starts from there”, Sergio commented.

“We know that this work will pay off, despite the doubts. I hope to continue as a sports manager for many years, I am very happy, I am a Saprisista at heart,” he added.

What did you find at the club?

“The change started in 2020 with the arrival of Gustavo Chinchilla as general manager, who pushed all the changes and internal reorganizations, and he saw the lack of a strong figure in the sporting department, and that’s when Ángel Catalina arrived and he brought me with him”.

“I say this with all due respect, we find a club at sporting level that is not organised in terms of processes, there is no clear idea where to go, or how it is done, there is no process like we promote to monitor the players, there is not much information from scouts, players come mainly through offers and other issues, in the minor divisions there is no clear list of players who will rise. Saprissa has no clear idea of ​​the good players from other teams and must attract talent from other parts of the country.

“There is no solid technical structure, no methodology to get players into the first team and the physical preparation department is weak. It’s complicated and, unfortunately, the most difficult thing for the club is to find all the people who have been there. “People who lived their lives, who loved Saprissa, it’s difficult to tell those people they have to leave because they don’t fit into the methodology that people want.

“Angel Catarina has led an impressive job and the club felt that this should be done by a foreigner. Catarina took on everything and made a lot of enemies, and the changes led to this.”

“Saprissa always wins, that’s undeniable for those who are here, and although Saprissa wins everything, it’s something within the institution, but within the realm of possibility, we have to strive for perfection, and that doesn’t mean Saprissa will win. It exists, but we have to work hard to achieve it, the club understands that, and luckily they chose us and we were able to do it.”

“What we have to do now is correct certain details, but we have a very solid foundation and we are growing, if it were impossible to reach this level,” he concluded.