Alemany: "Everything that the team have done has an extraordinary, historic merit"

This Wednesday at the Ciudad Deportiva Media Centre, Valencia CF director general Mateu Alemany gave an extensive review of the amazing end to the club's Centenary season. Hailed as one of the most important contributors to the success in LaLiga and the Copa del Rey, Alemany expressed his enormous satisfaction with the way 2018/19 concluded.

A rating for the season

"I leave the marks to you journalists, but everything that the team have done has an extraordinary, historic merit. Since January, when we were in a very difficult situation in terms of the sporting side, our morale and injuries, the team have been able to compete in three competitions -giving even more merit to what we have achieved. We reached practically the end of each competition with the chance of reaching our objectives. We have won a trophy and we've qualified for the Champions League. My mark for the season is 'Excellent,' without a doubt."

Celebrating the Copa del Rey

"If we were to beat Barça to win the Copa del Rey, a week on from qualifying for the Champions League, and I were to be calm, something wouldn't be right, don't you think? It was a moment to celebrate, and I wasn't going to do that sitting down. These past few days have been very special, emotional and spectacular, and I want to take this moment to thank all those who travelled to Seville. Their behaviour was little short of amazing, and they helped the team in the tough times -especially in the 15 minutes following Messi's goal. It was spectacular. I also want to thank those who were suffering in Valencia during the game, and those who accompanied the team afterwards, from the airport to Mestalla. There were a lot of people and there was a lot of emotion and joy. That's the most rewarding thing about football: You work to make the fans happy."

"My job is to put together a competitive team so that later they can provide that joy that we saw at Mestalla, at the Generalitat, at the Basilica and the City Hall. These three days have been unforgettable and surprising, because of the volume of people who came along. Even the players were taken aback by the celebration. I'm pleased to have shared these exciting days with the fans and people at the club, who are also the winners of the cup. I think that, after going 11 years without a trophy, something very spectacular came about following a really tough time. When things are hard and unexpected, you enjoy them even more. The Valencia CF fans have been well above what I could have imagined, which was already a high bar."

The proposed Supercopa format change

"We have competed during the 2019/19 season with rules that affect future competitions. We finished fourth, so we're into the Champions League. We won the Copa del Rey, so we have the right to play in the Supercopa. The regulations state that the Supercopa is between the LaLiga champions and the Copa del Rey winners. The etymology of the name of the competition says it: It's the champions against the champions. It's been like that forever and has overwhelming logic."

"That's why I say 'Don't change the conditions, when we have earned our right.' The RFEF General Assembly was held three days after Barça won the league, so they had already earned their right. The theory of the RFEF is that the Assembly is sovereign, and it defends the general interest of football. Our task is to defend the interests of Valencia CF."

"We spoke to the Federation again in Seville. We want a third authority, which should be the Higher Sports Commission (CSD), to decided which thesis is correct. It seems fine to us that they change the format, but starting next year. That would even benefit Valencia CF, because if four teams play the Supercopa, there is more of a chance for us than with two. In the last ten years, how many times would we have played in that competition with another format? Maybe the new format will suit the club, but it should be put into effect next season. This year's Supercopa is the 2019/20 edition, but in reality the participants are winners from 2018/19. We are saying that we have earned the right to play for the Supercopa against Barça, and it would be better over two games than over one. But that isn't down to us. If we're told to play only one game, then we will go wherever."

"It's simple and understandable. We don't want conflict. Of course we are going to play and we are going to try to win. We believe that in this discussion a neutral organisation with knowledge of the subject (CSD) should tell us if it is one thing or another. We will wait on their resolution of the matter; we don't have the intention of blocking anything or of creating problems. We definitely don't have the intention of not playing in the Supercopa, because the interests of Valencia CF on a sporting, social and prestige level is to play in the Supercopa. We'll do that wherever and against whoever. It's a simple, understandable matter. How could Valencia CF not play in the Supercopa? It would contravene the interests of our club. We are going to go and try to win it."