Rafael Louzán calls on fans to enjoy the national team during the World Cup
The RFEF president paid tribute to historic players of the Spanish national team during a pre-match luncheon ahead of the fixture against Iraq in A Coruña.
A series of heartfelt remarks recalling the period of mass Galician emigration to the Americas, along with recognition of the contribution of players from different eras who helped build the national team’s legacy, formed a significant part of the institutional event organised this Thursday by the Royal Spanish Football Federation in A Coruña.
In the Galician city — host of the match between Spain and Iraq on the eve of the national team’s departure for the FIFA World Cup — Rafael Louzán presided over a tribute to footballers such as Manuel Pablo, Míchel Salgado, Manjarín, Nando, Donato, Rodilla, Manuel Ríos “Manolete”, and Marcelino Martínez Cao, scorer of Spain’s first European Championship-winning goal. Each was presented with the shirt that Luis de la Fuente’s team will wear at Riazor.
Spain thus returns to the Deportivo stadium just one week before the start of the World Cup, with the national team set to travel on Friday morning from Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport.
In his address to local authorities, the RFEF president congratulated Galician football, which will once again have two teams in the top division next season, and also praised the Iraqi national team for qualifying for the World Cup after a 40-year absence.
On this occasion, Rafael Louzán exchanged personalised shirts with Younus Mahmood, the recently elected president of the Iraqi Football Association, and presented commemorative gifts relating to the match to various dignitaries, including the Government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco Lobeiras; the regional minister for Presidency, Justice and Sport of the Xunta de Galicia, Diego Calvo; the councillor for Sport of the A Coruña City Council, Manuel José Vázquez; the vice-president of RC Deportivo, Michelle Clement; the representative of the Iraqi government, Ary Kamal Mustafa; and the president of the Royal Galician Football Federation, Pablo Prieto.
The Spanish team’s stay in A Coruña is also intended as a celebration of Galician culture, present throughout the players’ arrival, where they were welcomed by the music of the Agarimo de Catabois bagpipe group. Upon arriving in the city, popular actor Xosé Antonio Touriñán humorously highlighted the strong footballing moment currently enjoyed in the region, from which the national team will depart on Friday for the journey to America.
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