Many gestures of support were seen in La Liga this weekend, in support of the victims of the bad weather which devastated the south-east of Spain. Many players and coaches also expressed their anger after the continuation of the 12th day which most of them would have preferred to postpone in this difficult context.
This weekend, the players of the Spanish championship did not have the heart to celebrate. “I don’t even know how we were able to play,” declared Koke, the captain of Atlético at the microphone of Movistar, after the match against Las Palmas (2-0). “There is nothing to celebrate because this match should never have been played,” said Michel, the Girona coach, after a spectacular success (4-3) against Leganés. In tears at the DAZN microphone, Real Betis attacking midfielder Pablo Fornals expressed his anger: “It was not a day to celebrate anything, neither football nor goals.”
At the Metropolitano, Atlético players dedicated each of their goals to the victims of the deadly floods which hit the south-east of Spain last week. Koke held up a jersey reading “Strength and courage” in Valencian (“Força i ànims”), two days after his coach, Diego Simeone, declared that it made “no sense” to play. “I have friends who come from Valencia and I contact them to see how they are doing. It’s a difficult day and even though we won, there is nothing to celebrate,” Koke added.
The Girona player, Miguel Gutierrez, imitated the gesture of the Atlético captain, seen in many La Liga matches this weekend, by holding up a jersey that he dedicated to one of his friends affected by the disaster on an unprecedented scale. “I think the match is taking a back seat. I’ve seen videos, I’ve had video calls with friends and it’s a real disaster, real madness. The jersey, the first one I took out , was for a friend of mine, Henry, whose mother disappeared in the current.
On Saturday, Osasuna’s Croatian center forward, Ante Budimir, also waved a jersey of the Basque club again emblazoned with “Fuerza Valencia” when celebrating his goal scored from the penalty spot against Valladolid. The day before, his coach had expressed his emotion, the village of his origins, Massanassa having been devastated by bad weather. On Sunday, Vicente Moreno traveled to his hometown to help residents clear the roads and send a message of solidarity.
The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, said that “the best message” was “not to stop, except in the affected areas”, by sharing a Red Cross donation call number. In recent hours, the death toll from the floods has risen to 217 deaths and is expected to rise further according to the Spanish government. “There are still flooded ground floors or garages, basements and parking lots to be cleared and it is foreseeable that deceased people will be found in these spaces,” warned the Minister of Transport.
