Barcelona, Spain / 23.08.2022 23:02:59
Maribel Dominguez was dismissed from U-20 Women’s Mexican National Team more than a month ago, just two weeks before the start of the World Cup of the category in Costa Rica. The complaint before the Mexican Federation by a player of the Tricolor opened an investigation that culminated in the separation of the coaching staff and countless questions about what happened.
After the elimination in the quarterfinals of the national team against spain, Maribel has decided give your version. Not before, so as not to affect the squad that until a few weeks ago played in the World Cup, and also affirms that it was victim of workplace bullying.
“I didn’t do it before, and I do want that to be clear, out of respect for my players; out of respect for the World Cup, because they were at an important moment in their lives and that nothing should have tainted it. They had a good tournament, they could have done much better. In this interview I want the truth to remain and only clarify things. I was a victim of workplace bullying. I ended up on the street. That was the worst and this is what hurts me the most. It hurts me a lot because I think we have worked in the best way throughout the process and unfortunately the situation that is happening has become very difficult for me”.
Immediately, the player explains that at one point in her process, they took away her authority as national coach.
“The team is already taken over by Luis Piñón, by Alan Rivera, by Miguel Razo. Luis Piñón was the second assistant and now he appears as technical director, because he is the one who gives all the technical talk. He gave the whole game system, all the video analysis. Things that had to come to me as technical director came to him first. It was so obvious that everyone was aware of it, everyone was aware of the displacement they had caused me. I appeared, but no longer with that leadership. Alan Rivera, who was the methodology coordinator, obviously begins to take action on the matter, in the aspect of everything that is handled in the National Team. But let me tell you that he had a month to reach the National Teams. When I am at home (because he tested positive for covid) and we start to see the meeting of the map of the players, he no longer let me give my specifications, but he already talked about his specifications of the players.
They wanted to impose Silvana Flores
Maribel explains that Alan Rivera began to negotiate for the inclusion of Silvana Flores in the call of the Sub 20.
“He starts talking to me about other players and Silvana Flores appears, where Silvana Flores –along with Miguel Razo– we had commented that she was not one hundred percent physically. We had her, she played at that time with us. She did not bring that rhythm of the game that we are looking for. Mariana (Gascón, director of Sports Development of the FMF) knew it. Mariana knew that that specific player didn’t have that level and that we were worried because she, unfortunately, didn’t have minutes on her team. The point is that always, every time there was a concentration, that player was named to me”.
Even, Maribel Domínguez spoke directly with the footballer to explain your situation:
“He accepted it, I don’t know if he thought about it or brought it up with the family or not. In fact, I told him at some point: you could come to play in the League. We always put those clear points. We cannot have a player who is not physically one hundred percent because the last thing we want is to injure her”.
Before the World Cup, Silvana’s name came up againnot to try on, but as part of the list that would compete.
“Suddenly he appeared as if he was going. I told Alan that he didn’t agree. ‘What is it about? My process does not work? You are not respecting the process of many players who now do not appear on this list, and you are giving me players who have not had even half the process that we seek to have with players who can be on the final list.’ Already when they impose it on you, when they tell you that she does go; not there anymore. I no longer agreed on many things.”
He even discussed the subject with Javier Mier, former director of Minor Selectionsbecause the same players felt a marked preference:
“I addressed it in the World Cup itself. He appears in the quarterfinals and where from the beginning he arrives very serious and tells me that he is aware of everything that happens. And the first thing he said to me is ‘what are your fears?’ What are your fears of what? There are many things that are being imposed on me here. He didn’t want to take it, or I don’t know if he took matters into his own hands.”
“One night before the game against the United States, two of the captains talk to me and tell me that things are happening, that they are not comfortable with many things that are being handled within the group. It was strange to me and I told them that it was not the time to say it. It’s night, they need to be calm for tomorrow. They more or less explained it to me. The game ends and unfortunately things go wrong for us. Later, when we came to the hotel, the captain came and told me ‘Mari, we are going to be in the pool area because we are going to have a meeting with all the players.’ It has just been lost, tempers are burning, disappointment, we can say a lot of things. I approached the psychologist (Michelle Castaneda). There is this situation with these girls, they told me this. Some issues that are being discussed there with Silvana”.
Silvana again…
“I told him that this talk worries me a lot. I went to talk to Javier (Mier) and told him: Javi, I would love to talk about a topic with you, look what this situation is happening. Javi tells me ‘ok, let’s talk about it’. At that moment the two captains lock themselves in; Michelle (Castañeda), the psychologist, and a servant were there. The girls begin to talk about everything that was happening, the team, the locker room. The only thing Javier said was that ‘we’ll deal with that, I don’t want them to talk to that person, with that player. Later we will address it and we will follow up to do the best we can. He commented on it. After the World Cup, when we return home I’m going to have a feedback talk with the entire coaching staff and we’ll take points’. There was never that talk. He never did anything for it. I did not feel the support, on the contrary. I felt more anger from his part towards us, towards me.”
It was then that Maribel Domínguez tried to talk to Yon de Luisabut the whole issue detonated against him:
“I wanted to comment on them so that in one way or another it would change, but it was not like that. From there, already in the concentration prior to the World Cup, we arrived on the 17th (July) and on the 18th in the afternoon Mariana Gascón told me ‘Yon wants to talk to you’. I had illusions… I had many ideas, except to have a letter against me. Except for having a letter where… I had been feeling displaced for a while, of feeling that workplace harassment, and when I finally have the opportunity to talk to Yon, the first thing he tells me is that there is a letter against me from one of the players. I was shocked, because why is this happening? From there they separate me with my entire coaching staff and all this begins to happen.
Interview with Jennifer Seefoo for MILENIO-La Aficion