Alfredo Garbisu  had things to say! At the virtual microphone of Lorenzo Lecci Lopez, he confides in his arrival in padel and in the federal framework, his  mandate at the VET ,  his relationship with Luigi Carraro , and applies for the  FIP elections .

His story in padel

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: The French know you especially for your mandate at the FEP, but few know your history. How did you come to be president of the FEP?
 

 Alfredo Garbisu: “I started playing padel in  1990  ! Quickly I was offered to work in my club in the Basque Country. I stayed there for 22 years. At the same time,  Julio Alegria,  one of the great pioneers of padel, asked me to help him on the  Federation of the Basque Country . It was the first federation created in Spain! ”

"At  2016 , several presidents of regional federations asked me to present my candidacy to the Spanish Padel Federation. At first I told them no, but finally by insisting they managed to convince me.”

“I failed VET”

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: What assessment can you make of your mandate at the head of the FEP? 

 Alfredo Garbisu: “As very important negative points,  I did not succeed in uniting the regional federations . For a year and a half, I thought I had succeeded, but finally I found out that it was a false peace, and that I had failed to unite the regional federations to work together. within the  FEP . This was the most important aspect for me, and this failure is the reason why I did not apply for the new elections. ”

“As positive points, the a creation of the European Federation of Padel , which brings together several European countries. I think the  FEPA  is necessary for the development of padel, and not only at the European level. Padel will be strong in the world, when padel is strong in Europe. If padel is strong in Europe, Americans will start to perceive it in a different way. AND when Americans play, there will be the real global boom of padel.”

alfredo garibu smile

“Luigi Carraro cut the communication”

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: In 2019, we had a special situation with two European Championships: one in Rome where France was present and not Spain, and another in Portugal. What happened ? 

 Alfredo Garbisu: “Something very sad happened that I hope will never happen again. In November 2018,  Luigi Carraro  was elected president of the  FIP . I made myself available to help him in all aspects, and we informed him of the progress regarding  the creation of FEPA to support the FIP,  as a solid basis for FIP in Europe .  We have been in contact every week for 3 months,  we even played a game of padel in Portugal . "

“Everyone was very happy. In January, the FEPA being created, we invited Luigi Carraro to the first general assembly of the FEPA in Zurich. We therefore presented the calendar with the European Championships, and  a place for this competition in Portugal . "

“Luigi, as guest of honor, asked us to 'organize in Italy , because he wanted to organize it in his country for the first year of his mandate.  We told him yes , and that there was no problem. At that time 15 countries were part of FEPA, but not Italy. So we asked him to  put Italy in FEPA , and he told us he agreed. ”

"From now on,  Luigi Carraro cut off communication,  but I never knew for what reason. After more than a month with no news, when Italy was due to join FEPA this week, we had to pursue our plans for them.  European Championships in Lisbon . "

“The surprise came when the FIP publicly announced their European Championship in Italy, and on the same date we had from the start. Basically we had to organize a competition which was the result of  the union of these two federations , and collaborate. Unfortunately, Luigi Carraro used the same date that I had determined, to do his European Championship, behind the FEPA.  Two people cannot dance if one of them does not want to dance… "

“You have to leave the ego at home”

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Fernando Belateguin told me, last September when he came to the Pyramids club, “They should put their egos aside and all sit at the same table for the good of padel”, speaking of federations.  

 Alfredo Garbisu: “Fernando has all the reason in the world.  The ego is very bad,  he must stay at home. When you look at your ego rather than looking at the good of a sport, things are bad. "

FIP candidate, but not convinced

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Is Alfredo Garbisu a candidate for the FIP elections? 

 Alfredo Garbisu: " Yes I am . I had no intention of applying. I am very happy in Bilbao, I was able to resume my work.  I didn't want all these problems anymore . A few weeks ago, the  Swedish and German federations  asked for my permission to introduce myself to  FIP elections . I couldn't see myself saying no to them, because it's an honor to see the confidence they have in me. I don't think I will be elected honestly. ”

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: What are the things to change, and the objectives for this possible mandate? 

 Alfredo Garbisu: "For me it is very important that a president be exemplary , and be the first to respect the regulations and statutes.  The president is at the service of others , and not the opposite. If I am elected, what I will immediately change is to put an end to the failure to meet standards and regulations. If a regulation has to change, it must be changed, but until it has been changed, it must be respected. The important thing is sport, but there is no sport without rules. ”

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Why do you think you will not be elected? 

 Alfredo Garbisu: "I think that  Luigi Carraro has a majority in the general assembly . I didn't care about the situation and it's just an impression I have. ”

Alfredo Garbisu

“France has great potential”

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: How do you see the situation of padel in the world, with countries like Sweden experiencing enormous development? 

 Alfredo Garbisu: "You’re visiting  very satisfied with the development of padel in Europe . Sweden is experiencing tremendous growth;  France has enormous potential ; Portugal has decided to include padel in schools with its government, and this will bear fruit in 5 to 10 years; padel in Italy is also gaining a lot of strength. Europe is on the right track, and in 5-6 years we will have the padel revolution. I don't know in how many years, but I I am convinced that padel will be the most practiced sport in the world . "

“People are doing more and more sports, and padel is a very simple sport, for all ages and physical conditions. Women also love it.”

“When France starts working with children, padel will take on another dimension in this country. It is very important to train players quickly. Spain has a very beautiful “cantera” thanks to the great work of the regional federations and the FEP.”

“We need a federation to work continuously on padel in France”

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: In France, the FFT has the padel delegation, but some criticize the fact that there is no independent federation for padel. What is your opinion on this? 

 Alfredo Garbisu: " I think that the interests of tennis and padel are not the same . I am a big fan of tennis and Rafa Nadal, and I come from a family of tennis players. I like a lot of different sports, but I cannot imagine putting two sports within the same federation. It's not correct. What seems right to me is to have a tennis federation that is focused on the development of tennis, and  a padel federation that can work continuously on padel . If you do several things, you are not as efficient as if you concentrate on one task. ”

 Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: What was your relationship with the Spanish Tennis Federation, when many say that tennis is sinking in Spain because of padel? 

 Alfredo Garbisu: “Relations were good. In Spain, each federation works on its sport and relations are good between each entity. Tennis has lost a lot of licensees, but this phenomenon is true across Europe. Tennis is in very good professional health with big shows, but for several years the number of players has fallen sharply. Something is wrong and this is worrying.  A sport that has 100 times more visibility than padel cannot lose so many players . "

“I don’t think there is a relationship between the growth of padel and the decline of tennis. Padel is aimed at many more people.  Padel has not stolen anything from tennis . "

Find the interview in full:

From his names, we can guess his Spanish and Italian origins. Lorenzo is a multilingual passionate about sports: journalism by vocation and events by worship are his two legs. He is the international gentleman of Padel Magazine. You will often see him at various international competitions, but also at major French events. @eyeofpadel on Instagram to see his best padel photos!

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