ElCierreDigital 'Pepe' Hidalgo's interest in soccer: his businesses, from Salamanca to CD Estepona
The President of Globalia and owner of Air Europa bought Estepona 2 years ago and is on his way to his fifth coach
"Let's see if we can be in Segunda División in three or four years," predicted Juan José Hidalgo in March 2023. These were statements he made during the presentation of the Sociedad Anónima Deportiva that took over the management of CD Estepona. Juan José Hidalgo himself became president of this company after buying Extremadura UD's spot and paying €512,149.95.
Estepona started a new chapter this summer by hiring former footballer Oriol Riera as their coach. However, on the last day of the year, at 9:01 p.m., his dismissal was announced. This news was surprising, given the good record of the Costa del Sol team. Now, they are seventh in Group 4 of Segunda Federación—the fourth tier of Spanish soccer.
They also achieved the feat of eliminating Málaga in the Copa del Rey and taking Leganés to a penalty shootout. They are just three points away from the promotion play-off spots and ended the year with a victory. However, this record was not enough for Juan José Hidalgo, who dismissed Riera.
"They sold me a project, and there, the word 'project' doesn't exist. Day-to-day life, even when winning, was very complicated," were Riera's first words after his dismissal. In a conversation with Relevo, the former Estepona coach did not hesitate to criticize Juan José Hidalgo's management. "The group was in a great dynamic. But when someone lives in an unreal vision, at the opposite extreme, everything becomes complicated," he admitted.
Juan José Hidalgo's Management at the Helm of CD Estepona, a Coach Shredder
The famous businessman, owner of Air Europa and Halcón Viajes, took over the presidency of the Málaga-based team in 2023 after it became a Sociedad Anónima. However, on October 4, 2022, the financing line was signed, and it was specified that Juan José Hidalgo had already provided nearly €900,000 to finance the club.
His good relationship with the mayor of Estepona sped up the entire process. José María García Urbano, mayor of the Málaga city, described the arrival of 'Pepe Halcón' as a "historic moment for Estepona's soccer and the city of Estepona". At the same time, he confirmed that "Pepe is taking on the majority of the share capital".
"I spent 20 years at Salamanca, another 20 at the LFP, I fought with Tebas to turn what soccer is today, a business. Now I can contribute something," Juan José Hidalgo confirmed at a press conference. The truth is that his adventure on the Costa del Sol is not going as planned.
Since the businessman from Salamanca took over the club's presidency, four coaches have already passed through Estepona's bench. Three of them just last season. With Oriol Riera's dismissal, the new occupant of the bench will be Juan José Hidalgo's fifth coach.
Regarding the timing of the dismissal, Oriol Riera commented: "These are the ways of the ownership. Soccer moves at one speed, and they move at another. It's part of their idiosyncrasy". This modus operandi is reminiscent of Juan José Hidalgo's last years at the now-defunct Unión Deportiva Salamanca.
Juan José Hidalgo's Time in Salamanca and His Failed Salamanca Athletic Project
In June 2013, Unión Deportiva Salamanca ended 90 years of existence due to debts that slowly suffocated the historic club. 'Pepe Halcón' presided over the entity from 1987 to 2003. The people of Salamanca begged him to return to prevent the club's disappearance, even though some debts were related to the last years of his tenure.
In August 2013, a couple of months after the historic club disappeared, Juan José Hidalgo appeared with a fast-track project: Salamanca Athletic. Skepticism took over the city of Tormes, since Hidalgo's indifference to rescuing his Unión Deportiva clashed directly with the new project.
Through one of his companies, Desarrollos y Promociones Monterrubio S.L., Juan José Hidalgo acquired the federation rights. The operation to create Salamanca Athletic cost about €250,000. The idea had no crest, kit, squad, coach, or stadium.
However, the project faced a ban from the RFEF. The federation regulations prohibited an S.L. with any relation to sports activity from becoming a Sociedad Anónima Deportiva. Everything came to nothing, and a decade later, CD Estepona became Juan José Hidalgo's new toy.
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