Maria Cubas, who worked for 20 years at the Menorca delegation of the Balearic Football Federation, has left her post, describing her departure as an unfair dismissal and accusing the federation’s leadership in Palma of pushing out those who disagree with it.
The letter
Cubas announced her departure in a letter sent to Menorca’s football clubs. She said she had been dismissed while on medical leave for work-related stress and hypertension, and borrowed the title of Gabriel García Márquez’s novel to describe it as a “chronicle of a death foretold”.
“No place for those who think differently”
Cubas believes the real reason for her dismissal was her willingness to speak her mind. In her view, anyone who disagrees with the federation’s leadership in Palma is unwelcome.
She cited other people who left the Menorca delegation in recent years after expressing different opinions, including:
- Fernando Osuna, the former delegate, who resigned;
- Pablo Carbonell, who had led Menorca’s refereeing committee for 19 years before his conditions were changed;
- Josep Rotger, who handled pitch inspections and fixtures and was, she says, considered too outspoken.
She describes the pattern as a “cleansing” of people who think differently, regardless of how well they did their jobs.
The federation
The Balearic Football Federation had not responded publicly to her allegations at the time of writing.
Memories and gratitude
In her letter, Cubas recalls the family atmosphere she shared with colleagues over the years, and the occasion when clubs came together to propose a successor to Osuna — although the federation in Palma eventually chose another candidate, Vicente Martínez.
She says she has been overwhelmed by messages of thanks from clubs and individuals across Menorca and beyond, which reminded her that her work had been valued.
Looking ahead
Cubas says she now feels liberated and wants to start new projects where she can work as part of a team and feel appreciated. Her health, she says, comes first.
A wider tension
The episode reflects a recurring tension in Balearic sport between Mallorca, where most federations are based, and the smaller islands, where clubs and officials often feel that decisions are taken far away without enough regard for local circumstances.
