«I don’t feel like talking about football». Carlo Ancelotti was very forceful in the press room Valdebebas. 24 hours before the match against Milan, are Milan, not even the Italian could focus on sports, in a key match for Real Madrid in the short-term future in the Champions League. His gaze, and that of all the protagonists of Spanish football, is on the Valencian Community and in the tragedy caused by the DANA. A look that provokes a question that in recent days has been repeated on the cell phones in many of the club’s locker rooms. First and Second Division: «Why do we play? Isn’t it suspended?».
“Football had to stop,” the Italian admitted, excited, before the media, adding to the wave of criticism that has accumulated in the LaLiga press rooms throughout the weekend. «There’s no point in playing“, said Simeone on Saturday. “If I could make the decision, I wouldn’t play,” he admitted. Flick. The three coaches of the three biggest teams in Spanish football have been against playing, leading the voice of locker rooms that support that position: «It was time to be with those affected and think only about that», he acknowledged Lucas Vazquez. So, why was the matchday played and why will the Spanish clubs play the European matches this week? The answer is simple: football never stops.
Historically, the beautiful sport has shown itself alongside misfortunes, whether they were attacks or natural disasters. He has helped financially, he has disputed beneficial partieshas had gestures, brochures, minutes of silenceblack bracelets… But it hasn’t stopped. Only the pandemicand only when mobility was totally restricted, did it force him to stop his constant path.
The afternoon of September 11, 2001Tuesday, a few hours after the attack on the Twin Towers of New York and after the suspension of all American sports leagues, UEFA maintained the Champions League matchday and Madrid played, and won, in Roma that same night. A day later, and after millions of criticisms, he decided to cancel Wednesday’s. «We were all wondering the same thing until an hour before the game“How is it going to be played?” Del Bosque admitted.
Three years later, the March 11, 2004Spanish and European football looked more closely at the misfortune with the Madrid attacks. And still the sport did not stop. UEFA, which had not suspended the Madrid-Barça of the Champions League semi-finals held a few hours after the ETA attack in the capital in May 2002, decided to continue the march of the continental day in 2004 and honor the victims with a minute of silence. the same day 11Barcelona, Valencia, Mallorca and Villarreal played their UEFA matches without impediments. «We have requested the suspension, but UEFA has considered that it should be played», Laporta acknowledged. “We had our heads in Madrid,” he said. Puyol. “It was a lack of respect,” he declared. cocu. “They made a mistake by not postponing the Spanish matches,” said Camacho, Benfica coach that year.
Two days later, on March 13, Madrid hosted Zaragoza at the Bernabéu. In one of the backgrounds, a banner: “Pain occupies our hearts.” On the grass, football despite everything. Yesterday Ancelotti insisted that sport «it’s a party“, but only “when your family is well.” “If not, there is no need to do it.”
Football did not stop in Europe either after the Paris attacks in 2015, after the serious earthquake in Italy in 2016 or the weekend following the Barcelona attacks in 2017. Again, gestures, many, but also passes and goals.
The pandemic, in March 2020was the only thing that stopped him. It was the last thing to stop, yes, with games behind closed doors, like that one Valencia-Atalanta of Champions. And it was the first to return, with the final of eight in Lisbon, also without an audience, and with the League being played in empty stadiums and PCRs prior to each duel.
Tonight, UEFA will hold a minute of silence in all the matches of the day as a great tribute to the victims, but players and coaches, especially during the weekend’s league match, expected much more. «They say the show must go on, but not like this», Ancelotti closed yesterday.