Spanish football unites in support of those affected by the wildfires
The Ciudad del Fútbol hosted the official presentation of the charity match in aid of the areas affected by this summer’s wildfires. The President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rafael Louzán, conveyed the sentiments of Spanish football: “The regions and the people affected will have our support,” he affirmed.
Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, SD Ponferradina, Zamora CF, and Ourense CF will play the most important match “for our land” on 24 September at the Reino de León stadium. The objective is to raise funds in solidarity and to pay tribute to the personnel who dedicated their efforts to extinguishing the fires in Castilla y León and Galicia.
The official presentation took place at the headquarters of the RFEF, with the presidents of the participating clubs in attendance, along with Víctor Martín, Chief of Staff to the President of LALIGA. Acting as host was RFEF President Rafael Louzán. Representing regional federations were Pablo Prieto, President of the Galician Football Federation, and Marcelino Maté, President of the Castilla y León Football Federation, as well as Vicente del Bosque, Spain’s 2010 World Cup–winning national team coach.
On behalf of the RFEF, President Rafael Louzán reiterated the commitment of Spanish football: “We must all stand together, and I can only congratulate the clubs that have taken this initiative. The affected areas will have our support. We must protect our heritage, our lives, and our land—wonderful regions now devastated by fire. Every contribution is welcome. Football cannot remain indifferent to such tragedy. From football, we will offer our grain of sand in gratitude to all those who worked to extinguish the wildfires. Football has its heart in rural Spain, as we showed when we presented the national competitions calendar in San Juan de la Nava.”
Speaking on behalf of LALIGA, Víctor Martín emphasized: “Football stands with society when tragedies occur, whether it was the recent storm, the eruption of the volcano in La Palma, or now, the wildfires. Professional football is at the service of people and of affected communities. The strength of football becomes real through the unity of all its actors. We must go back to the land that has burned in such pain. LALIGA has put forward various initiatives to encourage and raise awareness, hand in hand with the clubs. We are grateful to the clubs for inviting us to collaborate. Football’s powerful voice is with Spanish society.”
From Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, the host club, CEO Natichu Alvarado added: “This summer we experienced mixed emotions: the pain and devastation of the wildfires, at the very moment we were preparing our return to professional football. I believe the four clubs represent fan bases that truly understand the value of life and of the land. Our four regions know firsthand what has been lost, which is why we must fill the Reino de León. We must thank all those who fought on the front lines against the flames and work together on prevention. Football has shown what it can achieve when united. This charity match is a symbolic act that sends a message of solidarity and of determination to fight wildfires.”
Representing Zamora CF, its President Javier Páez stressed: “Football brings causes together, and it has united the clubs in this initiative. Whatever we can contribute, people can count on our support.” Finally, Camilo Díaz, President of Ourense CF, noted: “Our province was the most damaged by the wildfires, which destroyed more than ten percent of our land. This means that many people must start their lives over from scratch. This football celebration brings people together to honor those who helped extinguish the fires and to show solidarity with all those affected.”
Football, for our land
The charity match, featuring Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, SD Ponferradina, Zamora CF, and Ourense CF, will take place at the Reino de León stadium on 24 September at 20:00. Two 45-minute matches will be played, with two clubs competing in each.
Entry will be free of charge, but an invitation will be required for admission, either obtained online (https://cydleonesa.com/) or at the stadium box office on the day of the match.
Those wishing to contribute may do so in the following ways:
Donations via Bizum: Caja Rural has enabled the code 12566. To donate, simply go to Bizum → “See more options” → “Send donation” and enter this number.
Donations via bank transfer: Caja Rural has opened the account ES24 3085 0224 8028 1976 9924. An additional account has been set up at ABANCA: ES26 2080 5257 1330 4057 5633.
Fila 0 (Virtual Row 0): Already active for anyone who wishes to collaborate.
