On Wednesday afternoon, the Cajasol Foundation, in the Plaza de San Antonio in the capital of Cadiz, hosted the 16th edition of the 4 Gatos Awards which, in this 2023 edition, went to journalists Fernando Santiago and Rodrigo Mateos, the Cádiz CF delegate, Salvador Chirino, and the Cádiz CF player, Luis Hernández.
The event, which was attended by a large audience, was also attended by the president of Cádiz CF, Manuel Vizcaíno, the vice-president, Rafael Contreras, the manager of the Cádiz CF Foundation and assistant to the president, José Mata, and the players José Mari and Álvaro Negredo, as well as the ambassadors Pepe Mejías and Paco Baena, former players of the club.
During the ceremony, hosted by journalist Alba Reinado, the president of the supporters' club, Nacho Abreu, took the floor and expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the supporters' club and the 16th edition of the 4 Gatos Award. He also thanked the sponsors for their collaboration in holding a charity event and the Cajasol Foundation for providing the venue, as well as praising the figures of Luis Hernández, Rodrigo Mateo and Salvador Chirino, the three winners of the 2023 prize, and the journalist Fernando Santiago, also a prize-winner. Finally, he recalled the importance of the Cadista supporters in the club's history and presented an award to the longest-serving members of the supporters' club.
María del Mar Díez, delegate of the Cajasol Foundation, and Juan Antonio García, president of the FPC, then took the floor. Díez explained the trajectory of her organisation, valued the charitable nature of the gala, the proceeds of which would go to the Tierra de Todos Centre Foundation, and congratulated the four award winners. The head of the Federation of Peñas, for his part, congratulated the winners and the Peña 4 Gatos on its 20th anniversary, and at the same time presented a surprise gift to the Peña 4 Gatos.
It was then time for the presentation of the awards to each of the winners, who spoke as they came on stage. The first to receive his trophy, from Gato con Botas, was the journalist Rodrigo Mateos for his long career in Cadismo. The renowned communicator, with a sincere and emotional speech recalling the history of the club, moved those present and acknowledged his pleasure when he received the news that he would be one of the honorees.
The Gato Escayola went to Fernando Santiago, also a journalist, for his critical sense in the kindest of tones last season. During his speech, he thanked the peña for the award, "very well deserved", and congratulated the rest of the award winners.
Afterwards, the captains José Mari and Álvaro Negredo took to the stage and, although they were not part of the list of award winners, they did have time to appreciate the support of the fans and the sporting progress of the current season. The roteño said that "the supporters' clubs are an extremely important base for a professional club. A club like Cádiz, which has more and more supporters' clubs, is a spectacle for the players. I encourage them to continue playing the role they do". The Vallecano, for his part, stressed that "the team has started very well, we've had a good pre-season, with matches to prepare ourselves. We've started better than last season. We always try to have a good group and harmony, the players are responding. You can lose, but when Cádiz are in good form it's difficult to beat them".
After the Cadista striker's words, it was Luis Hernández who, as the winner of the Gato de Angora award for being the most outstanding player of last season for the supporters' club, took the microphone to thank the club for the award. He highlighted the collective above the individual, thanked the peña for its work, "something very important for the players", and asked to enjoy the moment that the club is living, which is taking steps forward to establish itself in the First Division. "The club, with the effort of everyone, is settling in an increasingly difficult category," he explained.
Salvador Chirino, as the Don Gato award "for a lifetime dedicated to Cadiz", thanked the peña for the award because it comes from the fans of Cádiz CF, "something very big. I never thought I could get to where I got to in refereeing, so I had to stop being a member of Cádiz, but I was always a supporter. I have always carried my Cadizism all over Spain, hidden by my work in refereeing".
The Territorial Delegate of Economy and Finance in Cádiz, Inmaculada Olivero, who also attended the event, thanked the Peña 4 Gatos for their invitation and congratulated them on their anniversary. "For the city, Cádiz in the First Division is just another economic sector, like industry or the service sector. Nobody is unaware of what it means to have a team in the Primera, for the city it is very important in economic terms. The Cádiz fans are loved and respected throughout Andalusia", he underlined.
The event was brought to a close by Manuel Vizcaíno, who recalled that, when he arrived, "there were 20 supporters' clubs and now there are almost 100. We are going to maintain the tradition, with the few supporters' clubs that have been there through thick and thin, of being at the events that are held" and he defended, tooth and nail, the Cádiz CF squad.
