Javi Poves

Javier "Javi" Poves Gómez (born 28 September 1986) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a defender.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Poves and the second or maternal family name is Gómez.
Javi Poves
Personal information
Full name Javier Poves Gómez
Date of birth (1986-09-28) 28 September 1986
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Atlético Madrid
Rayo Vallecano
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Rayo Vallecano B
2006–2007 Las Rozas
2007–2008 Navalcarnero
2008–2010 Sporting Gijón B 63 (2)
2010–2011 Sporting Gijón 1 (0)
2014–2015 S.S. Reyes 1 (0)
2016–2019 Móstoles
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He quit as a professional after one substitute appearance in La Liga for Sporting de Gijón, citing reasons of conscience. In 2019 he became president of Móstoles, renaming the club Flat Earth FC and endorsing the idea of a flat Earth.

Playing career

Born in Madrid, Poves played youth football with hometown clubs Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, going on to make his senior debut in amateur football also in the community, with Rayo Vallecano B, Las Rozas CF and CDA Navalcarnero. In 2008 he joined Sporting de Gijón, being assigned to the reserves in the Segunda División B.[1]

Poves made his first and only appearance for the Asturians' first team on 21 May 2011, playing in the goalless La Liga draw at Hércules CF on the final day of the season as a second-half substitute for David Barral.[2] He refused to use a bank account and returned a free car which Sporting had given to each of their players, and retired in August 2011 for reasons of conscience, stating:[3]

What I've seen from within makes it clear: professional football is only money and corruption. It's capitalism, and capitalism is death. I don't want to be part of a system based on people earning money at the expense of the deaths of others in South America, Africa and Asia. To put it simply, my conscience will not let me continue with this.

Flat Earth

Poves made a return to football on 12 July 2014, signing with Madrid-based UD San Sebastián de los Reyes of Tercera División.[4] Two years later he joined Móstoles Balompié, where he became president and received international attention for renaming the club Flat Earth FC before their debut season in the fourth tier in 2019; he publicly endorsed the theory of a Flat Earth.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Wishing to break precedents and bring different perspectives to his club, Poves hired former Spain international Laura del Río as Flat Earth's manager in August 2019; she became the first woman to lead a men's team in the country.[11] After two wins were followed by seven games without a victory, she was dismissed on 29 October and replaced by predecessor Javier de Lucas.[12]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Poves and his club uploaded social media posts against vaccines and face masks.[13] He announced that he was leaving on 6 December 2020, but two days later said that his words were misinterpreted; he released a long statement including "Perhaps, bearing the burden of being the only club in the world that strives for the liberation of mankind from this enslaving system to which we submit, is on occasion an extra emotional burden that I have to learn to manage".[14]

In July 2021, Flat Earth was acquired by CF Fuenlabrada, being renamed CF Fuenlabrada Promesas Madrid 2021.[15]

References
  1. "El Dinamo de Bucarest sigue a Javi Poves" [Dinamo Bucharest are following Javi Poves]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). 20 July 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  2. García Carratala, José (22 May 2011). "Despedida entre pitos" [Farewell between boos]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  3. Peinado, Quique (6 August 2011). "El 'futbolista antisistema' se retira: "El fútbol es corrupción, dinero y muerte"" [The 'anti-system footballer' retires: "Football is corruption, money and death"]. La Información (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  4. "De la mano de Juan Sabas llega: Javi Poves" [Arrives by the hand of Juan Sabas: Javi Poves] (in Spanish). S. S. Reyes. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  5. Mainez, Rafa; Kostopoulos, Panos (29 June 2019). "Spanish club changes name to Flat Earth FC". Marca. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  6. "Ex Sporting: Javi Poves instaura el terraplanismo en el fútbol español" [Ex Sporting: Javi Poves installs Flat Earth theory in Spanish football]. La Voz de Asturias (in Spanish). 30 June 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  7. "Risto, reacio a la teoría de Javi Poves que defiende que la Tierra es plana: "La ignorancia es muy osada"" [Risto, reluctant towards Javi Poves' theory that defends a Flat Earth: "Ignorance is very daring"] (in Spanish). Cuatro. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  8. "Javi Poves lance le Flat Earth FC (D4 espagnole), le club qui pense que la Terre est plate" [Javi Poves launches Flat Earth FC (Spanish D4), the club that thinks that the Earth is flat]. L'Équipe (in French). 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  9. "Dirigente anuncia criação de clube terraplanista no futebol da Espanha" [Director announces creation of Flat Earth football club in Spain] (in Portuguese). Universo Online. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  10. Marchetti, Simona (1 July 2019). "Spagna, nasce la prima squadra di terrapiattisti: il Flat Earth FC (ex Mostelos [sic] Balompié)" [Spain, first Flat Earther team born: Flat Earth FC (formerly Móstoles Balompié)]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  11. Aguilar-Amat, David (22 August 2019). "Laura del Río, primera entrenadora de un equipo masculino: "No me presiona dirigir hombres"" [Laura del Río, first female manager of a men's team: "I don't feel any pressure leading men"]. El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  12. De La Traba, Rocío (29 October 2019). "El Flat Earth destituye a Laura del Río y vuelve a De Lucas" [Flat Earth dismiss Laura del Río and go back to De Lucas]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  13. Conde, Kepa (6 December 2020). "Dimite el presidente del primer club de fútbol terraplanista" [President of the first flat Earth football club resigns]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  14. "Javi Poves, presidente terraplanista, da marcha atrás y no abandona el Flat Earth" [Javi Poves, flat earth president, does a u-turn and does not leave Flat Earth]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 9 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  15. Romano, Marcos (6 July 2021). "El Fuenlabrada compra la plaza del Flat Earth en Tercera RFEF" [Fuenlabrada buys Flat Earth's place in Tercera RFEF]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
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