Facundo Pascual Quilis (20 July 1893 – 13 October 1955) was a Spanish sports leader who served as the 7th president of football club Valencia CF between 1925 and 1929.[1][2]
Facundo Pascual Quilis | |
|---|---|
| 7th President of Valencia CF | |
| In office 21 June 1925 – 1929 | |
| Preceded by | Pablo Verdeguer Comes |
| Succeeded by | Juan Giménez Cánovas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 July 1893 |
| Died | 13 October 1955 (aged 62) |
Presidency of Valencia
editOn 21 June 1925, Pascual Quilis was appointed as the 7th president of Valencia CF, replacing acting president Pablo Verdeguer Comes, being accompanied by Juan Fortis Olaso and Ramón Ferrer Aguilar as first and second vice presidents respectively.[2] He wasted no time and just three months later, on 18 September 1925, the club moved its headquarters to Moratín Street, numbers 6 and 8.[2] The previous board continued to make decisions until the assembly held on June 3, 1926, the date on which Pascual Quilis was ratified as president.[3]
In his first season as president, Valencia was once again proclaimed regional champion, which allowed them to compete in the 1926 Copa del Rey, but they did not qualify for the final phase.[2] Notably, the Mestalla Stadium hosted the Cup final for the first time in its history, contested by FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, ending in a 3–2 victory to the former.[2][3]
In the second year of his mandate, the Mestalla Stadium saw its first remodeling undertaken just three years after being inaugurated.[2] The first important change was to change the land for planted grass, in order to improve the practice of football, but the true transformation of Mestalla, which changed its appearance and at the same time provided comfort to its spectators, was the construction of a covered grandstand.[2] The architect Francisco Almenar was in charge of the project, the same one who designed and directed the construction works of Mestalla, and who held the second vice presidency of the club.[2] The works began at the beginning of the season and lasted for several months, during which work was done day and night without rest.[2] The Mestalla stand, as well as the new façade and entrances, was officially inaugurated on 23 January 1927, taking advantage of the Regional Championship match that pitted Valencia against CD Castellón.[2] The celebrations were led by Pascual Quilis, the representative of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Colina Álvarez, and the president of the Valencian Regional Federation, José Posada Solis.[2] With its spectacular transformation, Mestalla reached a capacity for 17,000 spectators, with the initial cost of the works being 211,981.70 pesetas.[2]
On 6 April 1927, the club moved its social premises again. He left Moratín Street and moved very close, this time to Las Barcas Street, number 5, the main street.[2] At the end of the season, on 19 July 1927, new positions were elected on the board of directors chaired by Facundo Pascual Quilis. That season, the team reached the semifinals of the Cup, after having eliminated Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, but was defeated by Real Sociedad.[2] On 10 February 1928, at the proposal of manager Remigio Sáez Soler, Facundo Pascual incorporated Luis Colina Álvarez into the Valencia FC team as technical secretary, a position in which he remained for 28 years, until shortly before his death.[2][4] His experience was fundamental in the team's development, being present in the great historical events of the entity, such as promotion to the First Division in 1932 and runner-up in the Copa del Rey in 1934.[4]
During the 1928–1929 season, he continued Facundo Pascual's directive that had ended the previous campaign. However, the club was beginning to go through an economic crisis and, at the same time, the urgent need to close new contracts became evident.[2] To date, the Valencian entity had counted among its ranks, mostly, players from the quarry and the region, but with the imminent establishment of the National League Championship, in which the club began its journey in the Segunda Division, it became necessary, even though the moment was not ideal due to the difficult monetary situation, to spend a good sum of money on the incorporation of new players, in some cases already established and with proven quality.[2] The critical economic scenario raised in Valencia caused the resignation of Pascual Quilis in the assembly held on 13 June 1929. His successor was Juan Giménez Cánovas, who until then had served as a member of the outgoing board.[2]
Later life
editOn 14 May 1941, Elipidio Lozano Escalona, the First Instance Judge of Valencia, ruled to make public the complaint of the loss of 100 ordinary mortgage certificates of 500 pesetas, all of them inclusive, issued by the sports entity Valencia FC on 20 April 1933, announcing that a period of thirty days had been established so that the holder or holders can appear before his Court to make use of their right.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Presidentes del VCF". www.ciberche.net. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Ficha de presidente: Facundo Pascual" [President's file: Facundo Pascual]. ciberche.com (in Spanish). 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b "1925-1926: Primera final de Copa en Mestalla" [1925-1926: First Cup final at Mestalla]. ciberche.com (in Spanish). 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Luis Colina y sus mil goles de despacho" [Luis Colina and his thousand office goals]. www.levante-emv.com (in Spanish). 24 October 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Valencia - Veredicto" [Valencia - Verdict] (PDF). www.boe.es (in Spanish). Boletín Oficial del Estado. 26 May 1941. p. 5. Retrieved 21 April 2024.