ROKER ROUNDUP: Controversy as Sunderland owner’s presidency bid creates shockwaves in Uruguay

Outcry over Sartori’s political ambitions

There has been much surprise in Uruguay over Juan Sartori reportedly being in the running to be the National Party’s candidate to be president.

The president of the National Party’s board Beatriz Argimón told Montevideo Portal that none of the existing political groups tied to the party had so far raised Sartori’s name but said they could still receive pre-candidates:

We have not registered any group with the name ‘Uruguay for change’, none of the existing groups raised the name of Sartori.

To be a candidate, it is necessary that you present a group that is affiliated with the party and is present in the 19 departments,

In addition, the request must be supported by 500 signatories adhering to the party. After that, the proposal is studied by the Political Affairs Committee that raises the antecedents to the Electoral Court.

We do not expect any more candidacies to arise but the National Party still has the right to receive pre-candidates.

Uruguayan newspaper El Observador claim that a friend of Sartori enrolled him into the National Party in September and say that the statutes of the party do not have a minimum time of enrollment to present themselves as a pre-candidate.

The deputy and secretary of the National Party board Pablo Abdala was not too impressed with the news that an outsider to the party may run as a candidate, saying that candidates must have ‘legitimacy, militant trajectory and party recognition’ and went on to claim that there is no place for ‘paratroopers with money’ before calling the whole story a ‘charade’.

Senator Veronica Alonso, who has already confirmed that she will run for the presidency under the National Party banner, said she does not know Sartori but believes anyone who has lived outside of Uruguay for 20 years does not seem particularly committed to Uruguay’s problems:

The president of Uruguay’s House of Representatives Jorge Gandini also says he has not heard of Sartori but believes anyone who who arrives into politics in good faith would be welcomed but cautioned that the Sunderland shareholder may not be accepted by the Ethics Committee:

Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

---

Quinn and Connolly on Keane impact

Roy Keane recently revealed that he is keen to return to club management after his spell as assistant manager to Martin O’Neill with the Republic of Ireland is over.

Although he is realistic about what level the club will be at, he does say that it will need to ‘rock his boat’:

This idea I’d be looking at a club and thinking, ‘I fancy that one’ – I don’t work that way, I don’t network. I just focus on the job in hand and that’s a big one with Ireland. But hopefully soon I’d like to become a manager again.

It’s just getting that offer and challenge that will rock my boat.

I’d be realistic, it’s hardly going to be a Premier League offer, realistically in the Championship. But there are a lot of brilliant clubs there.

There’s no doubt in my mind that I could go in there and get a club promoted, with the right support. It would depend on the club and the people involved.

With that ambition still alive for Keane, Niall Quinn and David Connolly spoke to George Caulkin in The Times and the former Sunderland duo were in no doubt about the impact Keane had on the club.

Quinn went into detail about how Keane stood out and the attention he brought to Sunderland:

I honestly don’t think anybody could have done what Roy did at Sunderland. He didn’t just lift the dressing-room, he lifted the city. That’s the difference. When somebody comes in and lifts a city, it can be the petrol that fuels a club.

We had media requests to attend Roy’s press conferences from China, Japan, Hong Kong, what Championship club would get that? That’s the reach he has, what he can bring. He just has this unbelievable presence.

When he first came to Sunderland, we were still trying to sell 27 executive boxes. We organised a function for north-east business people. Roy walked into the room and it fell silent.

He worked that room and didn’t hold back. We sold out in an hour and a half. He got in his car, went home. I could tell 100 stories like that. The guy has a phenomenal power.

The former Sunderland chairman also told a story about how Keane wanted 11 ‘Roy Keanes’ on the pitch:

I remember saying to Roy once, ‘hey, we’ve got to be a bit more certain about the players we buy’ and Roy went ‘back me and eventually we’ll have 11 like me.

A mini Manchester United is how Connolly described Keane’s time at Sunderland, due to the atmosphere and intensity he brought:

Roy made it like a mini Manchester United. The place was buzzing. It was a wave of excitement. Everyone bought into it. It was a massive coup; a world-class player, his first role in management, not too dissimilar to Steven Gerrard at Rangers now. He harnessed all the energy of the club.

Roy would oversee training, he would select the team and discuss tactics with his coaches, but they led the sessions. We spoke to people who were at United and it was similar; high-tempo, very competitive.

Roy didn’t suffer fools and it didn’t matter who you were or what you’d done. You had to perform.

You can read the rest of that article HERE.

ChronicleLive

---

International roundup

Bryan Oviedo started for Costa Rica in their 3-2 friendly defeat away to Mexico but despite that loss the Sunderland defender starred as he set up both goals for the visitors.

Oviedo’s fantastic cross was headed home in style by former Arsenal forward Joel Campbell and another cross by the left back was handled by a Mexican defender with Bryan Ruiz scoring the resultant penalty.

Elliot Embleton and Bali Mumba both featured for England at youth level. Embleton started as the under-20s beat Italy 2-1 thanks to goals from Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock. England under-18s had a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Sweden at St Georges’ Park, with Mumba coming on with 30 minutes to go - at which point England were already 3-0 to the good.

Tom Flanagan and Jon McLaughlin were both unused substitutes in away defeats for Northern Ireland and Scotland respectively.

Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images