Vélez Sarsfield president Fabián Berlanga revealed an unknown story behind the signing of the first professional contract of 16-year-old left-back Simón Escobar. According to Berlanga, AFA president Claudio Tapia intervened for Escobar to sign his contract with the club. Tapia met with the youth team and delivered a message on the importance of signing the first contracts with the institutions that formed them. However, Berlanga stated that Tapia also had a specific conversation with Escobar, telling him: 'You in particular now, if you don't sign, grab your bag and leave, you won't go to the World Cup'. The phrase highlights the weight of the management made from the top of Argentine football in a delicate moment for the Liniers club, which sought to retain one of its greatest promises. Escobar finally signed his professional contract until the end of 2027, and months later began to consolidate himself as one of the great bets of the Vélez youth squad. Berlanga deepened on that episode and pointed out that Tapia also spoke to the rest of the players. 'He said: 'I understand, they want a little more, but the first contract has to be signed because they are here thanks to the clubs''. The director even stated that without that intervention the agreement would hardly have been concluded. 'And he made him sign; if not, they wouldn't have signed. I don't know if it was the kid, if it was the father, the mother, if the dog advised him or the representative'. The situation takes on even greater relevance from the current situation of Escobar. With barely one game in the first division of Vélez, the defender was included by Scaloni in the delegation that participates in the pre-World Cup tour, a decision that ratifies the consideration that exists about his potential within the structure of the Argentine national team. Berlanga also revealed the difficulties that clubs face in protecting young players from the interest of foreign teams. He explained that Escobar's release clause is around $12 million and emphasized that it is becoming increasingly complex to obtain long-term contracts with players of such short age. 'Everyone, all intermediaries ask about him. After, when we give them the number, they stop asking'. During the same interview, the Vélez president addressed another of the issues that concern the club: the decline in attendance at the José Amalfitani stadium. In an extensive reflection on the institution's economy, he stated that most games are played