The spat at Linares
On August 28 1947 in the town of Linares, Manuel Rodríguez Manolete was mortally wounded by the Miura bull ‘Islero’. Ever since then, Linares’ August 28 corrida is held in memory of the great Cordoban matador.
This year, the announced cartel was Morante de la Puebla, Curro Díaz and José Mari Manzanares facing bulls of Álvaro Núñez, but it fell apart on the morning of the corrida when cuadrilla representatives met with the local vets and other authorities to conduct the sorteo and apartado of the bulls.
Andalucía’s Taurine Regulations state that the suitability of bulls for a corrida is initially determined by the vets. If they have concerns, these are reported to the presidencia, who can then hear the opinions of the empresario, followed by those of the ganadero and, if present, the matadors or their representatives, as well as the views of two spectators’ representatives, before determining whether or not the bulls should be fought.
At 12.30, a bulletin was issued by la Junta de Andalucía announcing that, of the bulls presented, five of Álvaro Núñez had passed the reconocimiento, together with three bulls of Román Sorando (two of which would be corralled as potential sobreros), but that the decision to include a Sorando bull in the corrida had led to the departure of the Morante and Manzanares cuadrilla members, having refused to sign off the process.
At 2.10, the empresario, REYMA Taurino (a fusion of two bodies, Reverte y Matilla - presumably the same Matilla as manages Manzanares - and Matilla y Reverte) persuaded the presidencia to replace the Sorando bull with one of the Álvaro Núñez animals that had originally been rejected in the hope of maintaining the original cartel. Nevertheless, Morante’s and Manzanares’ teams continued to refuse to take part in the corrida, which went ahead as an encerrona for Curro Díaz en solitario. In the event, the linarense cut five ears, and one bull of Román Sorando did come into the corrida as a sobrero after the second núñez - not the one that had been added at 2.10 - was devuelto for extreme weakness.
To avoid a sanction for missing a corrida without good reason, the two absent matadors produced medical certificates at around 4.15 that afternoon, Morante claiming dyspnea (shortage of breath) and Manzanares gastroenteritis. How (in)convenient!
The only additional information as to what had happened at the sorteo came later that day from the ganadero, Álvaro Núñez, who claimed that the disagreement over which animals should be fought had descended into personal arguments between the two matadors’ representatives and the vets and others present. He said that the authorities had refused to include a bull of his even though they admitted they did not know for certain that it was lame. “On the part of la autoridad, delicacy and respect has been lacking. That, honestly, is the truth and doubtless the reason why [the two matadors] are not here. Two hours later, they’re contacted to be told that another bull has been put back in so that they do not leave, but I don’t think you can act like this - the person who stands in front of the bull is the linchpin of the whole show, and I think that the toreros must be treated with more respect.”
It has been suggested to me that that story may not have been the truth, that ticket sales were perhaps not great (the ring was half full for the corrida, but who knows how many people had sought a refund because of the cartel changing?) and the empresa may have tried to renegotiate the two matadors’ earnings or simply sought a way in which to reduce the event’s costs. As with most things in the mundillo, we may never know the full truth for certain. But, if the cartel was affected by a simple spat between the parties involved, then all of the people involved deserve censure, for none of them acted professionally.
After the feria’s end, it was announced that the prize for feria triunfador was desierto, but that Curro Díaz warranted a special mention for his gesture in taking on all six bulls on August 28. In addition, the jury expressed its support for the vets and the bullring’s staff - not entirely surprising given that the president and a representative of the vets were members of the jury! Although Morante and Manzanares have escaped sanction on this occasion and some in the taurine media have used the spat to complain about the roles of taurine authorities, it is to be hoped that Linares does not forget this sorry affair, this insult to the public and to the memory of Manolete, and that the two matadors are never contracted to appear in the town again.