Matías Lammens

Matías Daniel Lammens Nuñez (born 5 April 1980) is an Argentine businessman and politician, currently serving as the country's Minister of Tourism and Sports since 10 December 2019, in the cabinet of President Alberto Fernández.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lammens and the second or maternal family name is Núñez.
Matías Lammens
Minister of Tourism and Sports
Assumed office
10 December 2019
PresidentAlberto Fernández
Preceded byGustavo Santos (Tourism)
Diógenes de Urquiza (Sports)
Personal details
Born (1980-04-05) 5 April 1980
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Political partyIndependent
Frente de Todos (since 2019)
Alma materUniversity of Buenos Aires

From 2012 to 2019 he was chairman of Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro, a Buenos Aires-based sports club best known for its football team, which plays in the Primera División, the first tier of the Argentine football league system, and is considered one of the "big five" of Argentine football. With Lammens at its helm, the club won its first ever Copa Libertadores.

In 2019, Lammens was the Frente de Todos candidate for Chief of Government of Buenos Aires, competing against PRO incumbent Horacio Rodríguez Larreta. Lammens lost against Larreta in the first round, attaining a little over 35% of the vote.

Early life and education

Matías Daniel Lammens Núñez was born on 5 April 1980 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was educated at the prestigious Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, graduating in 1998.[1] Lammens has stated it was in the Colegio Nacional that he first became interested in politics.[2] He studied law at the University of Buenos Aires and later studied political economy at the Torcuato di Tella University.[3]

His business career started when he set up a kiosk in 2003; he later founded Ñuque Mapu SRL, a Buenos Aires-based company dedicated to the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages, chiefly wine.[4]

Involvement in San Lorenzo

A lifelong supporter of the club, Lammens's involvement in the board of directors of Club Atlético San Lorenzo began in early 2012 through his close relationship with club associate and TV presenter Marcelo Tinelli, whom he met in a family reunion.[5] Alongside Tinelli he formed the San Lorenzo Siglo XXI association, and upon the resignation of Carlos Abdo from the club's presidency in August 2012, he was appointed interim chairman, becoming the youngest person to hold the post at 32.[6] He later ran for the chairmanship with Tinelli in the ticket as vice chairman, and won with over 80% of the popular vote.[5]

Lammens in 2019 as chairman of San Lorenzo

The club was in a dire situation at the time of Lammens's takeover, highly indebted and with a large operative deficit, and in the midst of a club workers' strike due to the former presidency's inability to pay their wages.[7] The club's football team's position in the Primera División was threatened by a row of bad results, a situation that wouldn't be reversed until 2013. The Lammens-Tinelli leadership proved effective in reducing the club's financial woes, and the 2013 Torneo Inicial victory was hailed as a turnaround for San Lorenzo under its new directive board.[8][9] Lammens later presented Pope Francis (a fan and follower of the club) with a replica of the coup.[10]

Later, in 2014, San Lorenzo won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in the club's history. Lammens is also credited with lobbying the Buenos Aires City Legislature into ceding a space in the Boedo neighbourhood (historic home of San Lorenzo) to build the club's new home stadium.[3] In October 2014 Lammens rejected an offer by the Azerbaijani government to sponsor the club, citing Azerbaijan's poor human rights record and the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh;[11] the move drew praise from Argentina's sizeable Armenian community.[12][13][14]

Political career
Mario Meoni (right, minister of transport) and Lammens as minister of tourism and sports during a conference in January 2020.

Buenos Aires mayoral run

In June 2019, Lammens stated his intention of running for Chief of Government (mayor) of Buenos Aires in that year's election as part of a broad front in opposition to the Republican Proposal-led government, composed of progressive and centre-left parties and leaders, saying that "Kirchnerism is not enough in the City".[15] He confirmed his pre-candidacy (ahead of the simultaneous and mandatory open primaries) on 19 June 2019, as part of the Frente de Todos, the peronist coalition that endorsed the presidential candidacy of Alberto Fernández.[16]

His mayoral ticket was completed by journalist and writer Gisela Marziotta, who ran as vice-chief of government. His campaign was focused on Mauricio Macri's perceived economic mismanagements in the national government and the incumbent Horacio Rodríguez Larreta association with the president and his party.[17]

At the election on 27 October 2019, Lammens received a 687.026 votes – or 35% –, losing in the first round against Rodríguez Larreta's 55.9%.[18] Despite the wide loss margin, Lammens's share of the votes represents the best electoral result for an opposition party in Buenos Aires City since Mauricio Macri's victory in 2007.

Ministry of Tourism and Sports

On 10 December 2019, Lammens was appointed by incoming president Alberto Fernández as minister of the newly restored Ministry of Tourism and Sports, succeeding Gustavo Santos and Diógenes de Urquiza, respectively the secretaries of Tourism and of Sports in Mauricio Macri's cabinet.[19] Sports-wise, Lammens stated his intention of focusing on neighbourhood clubs.[20]

Personal life

Lammens is married to sociologist Mariana Gené, with whom he has two daughters; they live in the barrio of Palermo, in Buenos Aires.[21][2] He defines himself as agnostic, and is in favor of the legalization of abortion in Argentina.[22]

References
  1. "Lammens Nuñez, Matías Daniel (1998)". Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. Dahbar, Mariana (6 December 2020). "Matías Lammens: "El turismo va a ser la locomotora de la recuperación"". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  3. Balaguer, Adriana (21 September 2014). "Matías Lammens, el exitoso gestor futbolístico al que Pro quiere apostar en la política". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. "Macri, pero al revés: la apuesta kirchnerista con Lammens (que deja a San Lorenzo prendido fuego)". El Canciller (in Spanish). 19 June 2019. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. "Quien es Lammens, el presidente que eligió Tinelli". Clarín (in Spanish). 4 September 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. "Matías Lammens fue elegido como presidente interino de San Lorenzo". TN (in Spanish). 1 August 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  7. "Renacer del Ciclón: casi desciende en 2012 y salió campeón en 2013". Los Andes (in Spanish). 15 December 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  8. Estévez, Martín (7 September 2013). "San Lorenzo 2013: santo remedio". El Gráfico (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  9. "Elecciones generales en Argentina: ¿quién es Matías Lammens, el presidente de San Lorenzo que quiere ser jefe de gobierno porteño?". onefootball.com (in Spanish). 26 October 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  10. "San Lorenzo: El Papa recibirá hoy el trofeo del torneo Inicial". La Capital (in Spanish). 18 December 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  11. Caravario, Alejandro. "Con la camiseta, no". Revista Un Caño (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  12. "Matías Lammens: "A veces la prepotencia del dinero pretende pisar la historia"". Prensa Armenia (in Spanish). 31 October 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  13. ""Սան Լորենցո" ֆուտբոլային ակումբն ի վնաս Արցախի Ադրբեջանի հետ չի համագործակցի". Artsakh Press (in Armenian). 1 November 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  14. "Matías Lammens: "A veces la prepotencia del dinero pretende pisar la historia"". Diario Armenia (in Spanish). 6 November 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  15. #HaganAlgo con Iván Schargrodsky (Television production) (in Spanish). 3 June 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020. YouTube title: "Matías Lammens en C5N"
  16. Argento, Analía; Millenaar, Federico (19 June 2019). "Matías Lammens será candidato a jefe de Gobierno porteño por el Frente de Todos y Mariano Recalde encabezará la lista de senadores". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  17. Millenaar, Federico (22 June 2019). "Qué estrategias diseñan Rodríguez Larreta y Lammens para la campaña porteña". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  18. "El único festejo electoral del PRO". Página/12 (in Spanish). 28 October 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  19. Wall, Alejandro (8 December 2019). "Memoria de los años macristas en el deporte". Tiempo Argentino (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  20. "Matías Lammens será el elegido para el Ministerio de Turismo y Deporte". Página/12 (in Spanish). 4 December 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  21. "Quién es Matías Lammens, el candidato del Frente de Todos en la Ciudad". Página/12 (in Spanish). 20 June 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  22. Iglesias, Diego (8 July 2019). "Matías Lammens: "Rodríguez Larreta no empatiza con la gente"". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
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