Real Madrid Manager Ancelotti Calls for Suspension of Football in Spain After Valencia Floods

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has stated that football in Spain should have been suspended following the devastating flash floods that claimed over 215 lives in the Valencia region.

While Real Madrid’s match against Valencia and Villarreal’s game against Rayo Vallecano were postponed at La Liga’s request to the Royal Spanish FA (RFEF), six other top-flight matches went ahead over the weekend.

In the lead-up to this, six Copa del Rey matches involving La Liga clubs, including Valencia, were postponed last week after authorities advised against non-essential travel in the affected areas.

“Football is a celebration, but you can only celebrate when you and your loved ones are safe. When there is suffering, there can be no celebration,” Ancelotti remarked. “Football should have stopped because, in the grand scheme of life, it is the least important thing.”

He emphasized the importance of following the directives of those in authority and expressed a desire for the sport to pause in order to provide support in the aftermath of the tragedy. “There are many ways to help. Football had to stop and then help. Everyone has been clear about it—nobody wanted to play.”

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone echoed Ancelotti’s sentiments, stating that it made “no sense” for games to proceed under the circumstances, while Barcelona’s Hansi Flick said he would have preferred to cancel the matches.

Real Madrid is set to face AC Milan in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday. Ancelotti, who previously won eight trophies, including two Champions League titles with Milan, reflected on the week’s events, noting that the tragedy in Valencia has put football matters into perspective.

“It was supposed to be a special game for me, facing Milan. But discussing football feels meaningless right now,” he said. “It has been a difficult week, not because of the Ballon d’Or or El Clasico, but because of the suffering happening here in Spain.”

The Valencia region has experienced an entire year’s worth of rain in just a short period. On Sunday, Spain’s king and queen faced protests during a visit to Paiporta, one of the worst-hit towns, where they were met with mud and other objects. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was also targeted with projectiles during a visit and had to be evacuated.

Barcelona experienced flooding on Monday due to the torrential rains, resulting in over 60 flight cancellations, delays, or diversions at El Prat Airport, and rail services were suspended.