Official statement from Levante UD following the meeting of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Levante UD met this afternoon and formalised the standing down of Francisco Javier Catalán as president and Miguel Ángel Ruiz, Luis Calero, Marisa Blay and Juan José Alabau as directors of the club.
Francisco Javier Catalán was a member of the Board of Directors for two phases. From September 2000 to September 2005 he was an adviser and spokesperson. Subsequently, in January 2010, he became President of Levante UD after serving, since April 2009, as General Director of the club when the club was in Bankruptcy Administration.
Miguel Ángel Ruiz has remained involved with Levante UD practically his entire life, since he acquired his first Levante season ticket in 1965. He has been a director and adviser for more than 35 years, alternating with the position of vice president for two phases.
Luis Calero was a member of the Management Boards appointed at the end of the presidencies of Federico Cortés and Antonio Aragonés at the end of the 80s. Subsequently, he was an adviser to the Board of Directors of Levante UD and in December 2005 he was an elected adviser.
Marisa Blay joined the Levante UD Board of Directors in 2018. President of the club's only female supporters' club, Dones d'Agustinet, her life has always been linked to the Levante club and she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Supporters' Clubs Delegation on two occasions.
Juan José Alabau is part of a family of four generations of Levante supporters who have followed the club in all categories. He was appointed as an adviser to Levante UD in 2018.
On behalf of the club we should like to thank them all for their commitment, involvement and hard work, together with their great empathy for the Levante club, always there for and on behalf of Levante UD.
Furthermore, at the meeting the names of the new members of the Board of Directors were announced, as well as the appointment of the President, Vice President and CEO of Levante UD.
Pablo Sánchez. President of Levante UD.
The new president of Levante UD has a degree in Economics and Business Sciences. He became a season ticket holder in 2002 and since 2018 he has been a Director of Levante UD. He is a partner and general director of the Van Hessen company in Spain.
Braulio Pastor. Vice president.
Born in Valencia into a family rooted in the Maritime Villages, he has been a Levante UD fan since his adolescence. In his youth he became a member of the youth ranks of Levante UD. He has been a member of the club since the 90s and has been a Director since 2018.
Graduated in Law from the University of Valencia, he practises the profession of Administrative Manager, directing his management group, Grupo Gestoría Pastor, a family business founded in 1929.
José Danvila. CEO.
He began following Levante UD in the 90s when the team was active in Second Division B and in 2018 he joined the Board of Directors. Currently his project has become the alternative chosen by the Foundation's Board of Trustees as an economic viability plan.
Maribel Vilaplana. Adviser.
As a result of her joining Levante UD, Maribel Vilaplana closes a circle that began 30 years ago when she reported on the team at the beginning of her career as a journalist at 97.7 Radio, where she was precisely one of the people who covered information about Levante UD. From that moment on, she developed her career as a journalist on Spanish Television and Channel 9, where she became one of the best-known and most frequent newsreader faces on the small screen. Over the last 10 years her professional career has involved consulting, advice and training in specialised communication in the management, executive and business field.
Ruth Garcia. Adviser.
Ruth García has been linked to Levante UD since 2004. After five years at FC Barcelona, she returned to Levante UD in 2018 where she played for two seasons. She has been an international player more than 50 times with the Spanish Football Team. With effect from 2020, she began to take charge of Institutional Relations and the technical secretariat of the Levante UD Women’s team. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work throughout her career as a football player.
Hector Blasco. Adviser
Héctor Blasco chairs Europa Travel where he is also responsible for developing strategic planning. Graduated in Law, he has been director of Legal Consulting, Marketing, Administration, Finance and IT at Mercadona. Since 1999 he has also been the general director of UMIVALE Activa. As he himself says, he is a “third generation Levante fan”. In fact, his first memories of watching Levante UD are linked to being accompanied by his grandfather, so he has a sentimental connection to the team.
