Discussion on Football and Media Criticism

José Félix, since it was published

this—

Mhm.

How have you experienced it?

Well, let's see, uh,

I understand there are differing opinions, but what I don't understand is the

the intolerance, the verbal abuse, the

threats,

the situations, uh, well, that people who

might be close to me, friends and such, could find unsettling,

caused by the actions of some journalists and media outlets

that devote themselves to pointing fingers and handing out passports

and deciding who is Spanish and who isn't, and saying you have to be Spanish to

vote for a Spanish player. Situations that have really caught my attention

a great deal

and that have generated, well, obviously, uh, a lot of

social violence, right? Let's put it that way.

That violence doesn't matter to me,

I don't care. I live with her, but she's crossed a lot of lines,

a lot of

lines. This is a game, so to speak. This is

soccer, this is for our entertainment.

And when they go as far as, as a cl— well, then obviously

they've been reported. The thing is, well, these complaints go nowhere,

but it's been constant, hasn't it? But I don't understand

why, for example, a media outlet that, well,

doesn't talk much about

the word Spain, in a three-line image with my face, puts the word Spain

in twice, "the Spaniard who doesn't vote for Spain" or something

like that, right?

Well, what is that? Is that trying to turn people

against me?

Well, and besides, it's a mistake, it's manipulation, because I do vote for

Spain, it's just that I voted first for

Mbappé, second for Lamine, I include

Four players, four players from the Spanish national team

among the top ten.

I voted for Unai Simón, I voted for Luis de la Fuente,

I voted for Luis Enrique.

I mean, well, but, well, I already take it as, like, a

game, just another part of it, and I'm proud to

belong. I'll say it again,

to the Ballon d'Or jury. And I didn't expect this reaction, I'm telling you

seriously. A little bit of rivalry, sure, but a reaction

that's completely out of proportion, com-completely, that cro—

that crosses

any kind of line. I'm serious.

Or I mean it,

uh…

well,

well, I'll shut up.

I mean, I don't want to, I don't want to go on because I don't want to

give importance to certain people or little characters who've ded—dedicated themselves to

to, to throwing all the, the worst possible shit at me, because

I don't understand it. I mean, I swear, I swear I can't understand it,

that people in the same

profession would do that. I don't understand it.

Angry or hurt?

No, proud. Because I would vote again anyway, the, the,

the,

the vote, because this isn't about measuring,

it's about each person's taste, based on certain parameters.

But not here, in the, in the three points France

Football lays out, no,

it doesn't mention nationality, it doesn't say you have to vote for someone from your

country.

Voting for someone doesn't make you any more or less from your country.

Well, to me, Lamine Yamal was behind Mbappé

in his overall performance, and

so, and that's how I, I, I voted.

And then, hurt—uh, hurt. Well, it doesn't really hurt me,

because we're very used to being slightly mistreated socially,

But I think we journalists should sometimes watch what we say and

what we say,

especially when that message is aimed at so many people, right?

So, well, I think that—some people are disappointed, yes, that's true.

Disappointed.

But like I said, I'm proud. Above all, obviously, I'm grateful for the support of my

colleagues, both here and...

well, yes, here, and from,

and from the newspaper As and Prisa, because—and well, some former colleagues

of mine from Marca, too, have seen what we're all seeing

you can all

see.

Have you received threats?

Death threats, yes, yes.

But anyway, those,

social media keeps those, keeps those,

I don't care.

For you.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, I don't care, but I don't care. I don't care.

I mean, that's essentially it, it portrays a few more.

You saw the professions, lawyers, who knows what, and so on.

And I was like, “Damn, my God, who would put themselves in this

guy's hands?” But anyway.

But seriously, I've enjoyed it, I've had a great time, I've seen

so much affection here because we've been talking about what I couldn't

talk about, and we've been talking, we've had fun, we've had a good time,

which is

what it's all about, right? And that's what I'll take away, seriously, all the affection from all

of you, the affection from my colleagues, because it really

is a privilege, and that's how I've, I've, I've treated it.

And whoever doesn't see it that way, well, tough luck.

Your family?

Well, let's talk about

other things.