Spanish football matches should have stopped after deadly floods, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says

Monday, 4 November 2024 18:39

By Samuel Osborne, news reporter

Football matches in Spain should not have been played at the weekend following last Tuesday's devastating flooding that killed at least 217 people, the Real Madrid manager has said.

Real's match at Valencia scheduled for Saturday was one of two top-flight games postponed, but other LaLiga games went ahead.

"Football should have stopped this weekend," Carlo Ancelotti said.

He added: "Football is a party and you can celebrate when things are going well, but when they're not going well there's no celebration to be had. It's the most important of the unimportant things in life."

He said "we are not the ones in charge" and "we have zero power", adding: "All the coaches had the same opinion not to play."

Ancelotti made the remarks at a news conference ahead of a Champions League match against AC Milan at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.

"A week has passed since the tragedy unfolded," he said.

"We're very sad and we're very close to all the people affected.

"Hopefully, this can be dealt with soon. In this respect, I want you to understand that talking about football at this time is difficult, just like playing."

Read more:
'Extreme danger' red alert for Barcelona warns of more rain
British couple found dead after Valencia floods

'Unbelievable and terrible' flooding

Ancelotti said it had been "very difficult" preparing for the AC Milan match while Spain deals with the aftermath of the disaster that hit the Valencia region.

"It's very difficult [preparing] as you don't have your mind on your work all the time. Inevitably, it affects everybody. When you hear and read what has happened, it's unbelievable and terrible," he said.

"We have prepared for this game because we are professionals and we will try to play and win it. That's what we have to do.

"We don't really want to speak about football because, in comparison to what happened in Valencia, it's not important. It's our profession and we carry on, but everything else is secondary".

Search continues for flood victims' bodies

Search teams are continuing to scour flooded areas for bodies, with fears dozens of people could be found dead inside an underground car park in Aldaia.

Thousands of soldiers have been brought in to help the search for an unknown number of missing people.

Many Spaniards were angry at the response from authorities to the flooding and a group of survivors hurled mud and insults at Spain's King Felipe when the monarch visited one of the worst-affected towns on Sunday.

Sky News