The rise and fall of Joaquín Parra, the king of Babylon

The Old Testament tells that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was a braggart and wanted to build a giant idol that would dazzle the kingdom. He gave him a head of gold, a torso of silver, and legs of iron, but his feet were made of clay. A stone rolled towards the statue and everything collapsed. In the case of Club Deportivo Badajoz, the stone could have been Amorebieta's goal on May 22, the arrest of its president in July or the sit-in of the fans, who have already said enough, but it is clear that Nebuchadnezzar is Joaquín Parra.

Like the king of Babylon, the Sevillian businessman spent two years in Badajoz exciting fans. He paid old debts, refurbished the stadium, broke subscriber records and made everyone dream with statements like the fact that CD Badajoz would play the Champions League in a stadium designed by the architects of the Real Madrid Sports City. That was the resplendent facade. But behind the scenes the debts were piling up and the legal problems of the owner of 99% of the shares.

In the last two seasons, CD Badajoz was close to promotion to Second, played in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey and had 9,600 subscribers when the previous record was 5,600 and the club was in Second. But the feet of clay were the non-payments to the Treasury, Social Security and suppliers, which were accumulating.

At the end of last season, while the fans dreamed of professional football, the CD Badajoz players were not paid and the complaints to the AFE (Association of Spanish Footballers) piled up. The club ran the risk of losing its current category due to this problem. How was it fixed? As soon as they lost to Amorebieta, the season ticket campaign for 2021-2022 was opened and the fans were asked to show their support. They did and that money plugged the hole. The problem is that the team was going to start a new season already mortgaged, without those funds.

That contrast between public splendor and fragility behind the curtain has marked the trajectory of Joaquín Parra in Badajoz, which everything indicates that he is finishing. The Sevillian businessman has agreed to transfer his shares to the investor Daniel Tafur. The agreement is pending the authorization of the judge who is handling his case for money laundering and must also overcome other bureaucratic procedures. If all goes well, the Parra era will end for CD Badajoz.

rise and fall

The rise and fall of the king of Babylon have been forged in two and a half years. Joaquín Parra arrived at CD Badajoz pulling his wallet. In the 2018-2019 season, the pre-bankruptcy of creditors planned on the club for non-payments and the Sevillian businessman came to the rescue. In fact, in a few weeks he earned the nickname of Joaquín Perras in the city. In addition to the nickname, Parra's story immediately caught on among fans. Born in Dos Hermanas, this businessman defined himself as "self-made". It's true. He began managing a hardware store for his father-in-law, but his ambition immediately led him to open another business. He soon jumped into hospitality. He had nightclubs in Seville and ended up in the sector where most investors arrive, real estate. Like other businessmen, he switched to 'low cost' gas stations when the market was liberalized. He also dedicated himself to selling luxury cars, especially to soccer players.

Just a few weeks before landing in Badajoz, Parra was arrested in the Drake macro operation against VAT fraud at low cost gas stations. Three months later, an assembly was held in the capital of Badajoz in which the investment group Feverstone SA, that is, Joaquín Parra, entered. The until then president, Pablo Blázquez, resigned and the club remained in the hands of a manager until it became SAD (Anónima Deportiva). The Sevillian businessman achieved this process by acquiring 99.24% of the shares.

Despite the Drake operation, Parra continued in the low-cost gas station business. In fact, his arrival at CD Badajoz coincided with his business landing in Extremadura, where he opened three of the six Derby gas stations that he launched at that time. He also installed the headquarters of Extrem Petrol, a company dedicated to the sale of fuels, in the Plaza de España in Badajoz.

As for the club, the long-awaited works reached the Nuevo Vivero stadium, which was completely renovated. Until April 2021, the share capital of CD Badajoz was 1.4 million euros. The shareholders' meeting increased it by 3 million more by issuing 28,224 shares in favor of Ferverstone, the Parra company. These titles were issued for debt compensation, that is, the investment that the businessman made for the works of the Nuevo Vivero stadium is converted into shares.

The Tax Agency believes that the three million euros of Joaquín Parra were invested in the works come from the 13 that were defrauded to the Public Treasury. This is reflected in the conclusions of Operation Bensinium (fuel in Latin), which is how the Civil Guard has dubbed the investigation that culminated in the arrest of Parra, who has been in Alhaurín de la Torre for six months.

Beyond the origin of the money, the accounts are not healthy for the Badajoz team. Parra did not pay. The club has been accumulating a significant debt with the Treasury and Social Security, but also with companies such as Royald Verd, Cota Cero, Vilaplana or Machaco Catering.

But during all this time, no one has raised their voice against the former president of CD Badajoz. It wasn't easy because he was protected by his enormous popularity.

Parra's success wasn't just based on rescuing a languishing club. It was because of the style and his character. Pure charisma.

The era before Parra had been very hard. After his disappearance and refoundation in 2012, the fans remained faithful to his Badajoz, but they went through many hardships. When they returned to play in the New Nursery, they entered a stadium where vegetation grew between the seats, there was humidity and in the environment, covered in graffiti, they stepped on garbage, condoms and bottle remains to enter to watch a game. That deplorable image changed for a stadium with the colors of the club, with good grass and decorative vinyl everywhere.

Parra's charm, furthermore, was not only based on his works and image, but also on bombastic messages and gestures of splendor. He spoke of "never failing the fans" or that "he didn't come to do business." The City Council invited him to be King Gaspar in the Christmas parade and he dedicated himself to throwing balls with prizes such as tablets or electric scooters from his carriage. It was not the only recognition that Parra received before falling. Politicians praised him, he was named godfather of a class at the University of Extremadura, imitated by a murga, and there were even those who insistently asked to be awarded the Medal of Extremadura.

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His popularity also helped him when it came to demanding institutional support. Since he turned CD Badajoz into a company, he began to press for the Badajoz City Council to give him the New Nursery. The suspicion is that he wanted to carry out some type of real estate operation in the area, but the businessman always denied it.

Parra even threatened to build a stadium with his own money and take the club out of the city that gives it its name. His strategy only half worked. The municipal plenary approved the transfer of the stadium for 75 years, but the agreement never materialized.

luxury living

The Sevillian also impressed by his standard of living. He lived in a five-star hotel when he was in Badajoz, ate in the best restaurants and arrived in big cars at the stadium. The Civil Guard intervened in the operation of Parra 30 luxury vehicles, two yachts and 36 homes.

In the midst of that infatuation between president and fans, the shadows loomed, but he was hard to distrust. On July 27, 2021, the Civil Guard, with an order from a Malaga judge, searched the offices of CD Badajoz and the Parra companies. His gas stations were sealed off. He was detained in Dos Hermanas and his entry into prison was decreed.

In total, 17 people were arrested in Operation Benzinium and there were searches in Malaga, Seville, Madrid and Cadiz as well as Badajoz. They will be prosecuted for defrauding the Treasury and money laundering. The Civil Guard considers that they stopped paying 13 million euros in taxes on a sale of diesel of 63 million. Those responsible for the investigation assured that, with this operation, a criminal organization dedicated to massive fraud had been dismantled.

Despite the seriousness of the charges and his imprisonment, the idyll of the fans with 'Tito Parra', his affectionate nickname, was not broken. A part of the social mass of the team continued to support the businessman. Many asked for a vote of confidence and some even justified that "everyone defrauds the Treasury." The most daring even said that he should continue despite the crimes because he invested money in the club.

Six months have passed since then, Club Deportivo Badajoz has been deteriorating day by day and, with it, the myth of Parra.

The problems are not new, but months have passed until the club's holes have been made public. It has been because the situation is unsustainable, as the athletes have denounced and those responsible for the team have admitted, confirming that CD Badajoz is on the verge of bankruptcy.

No soap and no bandages

The captain of the first team, Miguel Núñez, read a statement on behalf of his teammates with shameful details. He said that the workers in charge of washing the clothes do not have soap and take advantage of the one that the referees leave in the locker rooms after the games. They also confessed that their doctors do not have material, for example, bandages and that there are soccer players who cannot afford to rent their home.

The splendid Nuevo Vivero doesn't shine either. The lawn hasn't been maintained for about two months. The soccer players have denounced that it is in very bad conditions and that the stadium is deteriorating day by day. They don't even have cleaning workers.

The delegate councilor for Cleaning in the Badajoz City Council, Alejandro Vélez, has offered municipal services to enter the stadium and carry out this work. His proposal is controversial, since the maintenance of the New Nursery depends on CD Badajoz, which has the stadium on loan. The Consistory of Badajoz would have to divert or pay for public services to attend to these facilities.

Along with players, workers and fans, there are twelve employees of the three Derby gas stations in Extremadura who have been affected by the passage of Parra in the region, since businesses remain closed.

City Hall and Board

The Sevillian businessman has also made some politicians blush, since many supported him. Juancho Pérez, Councilor for Sports in Badajoz, admits that it has been tough. «I have the feeling that I think many people from Badajoz have, that it was spectacularly beautiful until it stopped working. I hope that the team becomes an institution so as not to be at the mercy of these tidal waves.

For its part, the Junta de Extremadura indicates that "it will not enter into assessments of Joaquín Parra's career as he is immersed in a judicial process." "The regional government shows all its support for CD Badajoz and hopes that it can solve its economic situation," they add.