Luis Rubiales: "The Copa is a tournament on the rise".
The head of the RFEF presided over the institutional ceremony in Seville prior to the title match that Real Madrid and CA Osasuna will play this Saturday.
With 24 hours to go before the great Copa final at La Cartuja stadium in Seville, all levels of Spanish football were represented at the commemorative ceremony prior to the match between Real Madrid CF and CA Osasuna.
The president of the RFEF, Luis Rubiales, acted as host at an event during which he stressed that the Copa del Rey "has a huge global projection, the whole world will be watching. There are 300 accredited journalists, it has multiplied its income by 40-50%, it is seen in more than 180 countries... For those of us who have played in this competition, you feel that it is something special. There are many things to do and to improve, but the Copa is for everyone".
For the head of Spanish football's governing body, "both teams have had a magnificent season. Real Madrid is the most successful team in the world and it is an honor for Spanish football. As is Osasuna, which has great values. We are happy because when we designed this Copa del Rey we did it with every intention of making smaller teams prosper, to match their strengths. It is a tournament that is on the rise, unlike other Spanish competitions in regression".
For their part, the presidents of the finalist teams have expressed their shared desire for a great spectacle in the capital of Seville this Saturday.
In the words of the Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez: "We hope that there will be fair play between the two teams and that everyone will feel proud", to which his counterpart from CA Osasuna, Luis Sabalza, responded with the famous bullfighting formula: "May God distribute luck", he said, referring to the final between the two teams.
The institutional act celebrated during the night of Friday in the Sevillian capital has counted with representation of the main local institutions, like the City council of Seville in the figure of its deputy mayor, José Luis David Guevara; the Junta de Andalucía in the person of its general secretary for the Sport, José María Arrabal, or the Foral Government of Navarre, whose president, María Chivite, also has foreseen her attendance to the great final of this Saturday.
