Paco González steps back from COPE radio, citing the death of Pepe Domingo Castaño

A step back, not an exit

Paco González said on Thursday, 22 October, on Antena 3's El Hormiguero that he is leaving the front line of Spanish sports radio while staying at COPE. He will remain on Tiempo de Juego and El Partidazo, but he will work considerably less and hand more airtime to younger presenters. He told host Pablo Motos that the change would be gradual rather than immediate. The move follows a letter he read at the start of Tiempo de Juego on 3 October, which he had described as one of thanks rather than farewell. He said he has been weighing the decision for around a year and a half.

I'm going to take a small step aside so the 'Ferraris' can come through. I'll stay at COPE, on Tiempo de Juego, but I'll be doing less.

Pepe Domingo Castaño and the plan that changed

González had long imagined leaving radio together with Pepe Domingo Castaño, his colleague of more than 30 years, who died in September 2023. He said his ideal ending was to go when Castaño decided to stop, and that the death changed that plan. When Castaño died, he said, he felt like the new father of many young people on the programme, and it was not the moment for him to leave. He recalled the night of the death, when the team was about to go to bed and Castaño's family called to say he was very ill, so they went to the hospital. The next day the team carried on with the programme as best it could, a outcome González said nobody had expected.

If Pepe Domingo were among us, I probably would not have thought about leaving.

He described the decision as more sentimental than professional. He said he still has bad moments whenever he realises his former colleague is not coming back.

Reasons and what he leaves behind

González said he wants to spend more quality time with his family and friends, and to look after his health. He said he spends the whole day thinking about the programme and does not switch off, which he now wants to change. He also acknowledged feeling somewhat disillusioned with modern football. On the younger presenters, he said there is an excellent pool of talent, which he believes makes this the right moment. La Razón reports that he described his colleagues at the station as family and that he still loves radio.

Career and contract

Europa Press reports that this is González's 40th season in radio, that he has directed programmes for 37 years and has completed 34 seasons in the weekend format. La Razón adds that his career began at 25 at the head of Carrusel Deportivo. In 2024, COPE renewed the contracts of González, Manolo Lama and Juanma Castaño until 2030. The timeline below sets out the key dates of the transition.