Effects of DANA on sport: Madrid donates one million euros and Mestalla becomes a food bank

The DANA that devastated several areas of the Valencian Community on Tuesday night has also hit the world of sports and its protagonists hard. The majority of Spanish football clubs and many athletes have shown their solidarity and support for those affected by this natural disaster, which has affected sports with postponed matches, damage to infrastructure and an event at risk in the short term.

As is usually the case in these tragedies, sport shows its most supportive side when it hits close to home. Real Madrid, through its foundation and together with the Red Cross, has launched a fundraising campaign aimed at supporting those affected by DANA and has decided to support the collection with one million euros. Mestalla, where Madrid was supposed to play this Saturday against Valencia, teamed up with the Food Bank to turn the stadium into a point to drop off food and basic necessities.

A wave of solidarity that moved Jaime Serra, president of the Valencia Food Bank, with which he has already contacted up to 30 cities in Spain to try to collaborate and send all possible help. «There are no words. People have moved and we are doing very great things. Now we are preparing a way to get everything out and get food and clothing to the people so that they can be as God intended,” he points out.

Less than four kilometers away are the L’Alqueria basketball courts, Valencia Basket’s youth center, an improvised dormitory for hundreds of evacuees. The club, which was scheduled to play on Wednesday night the sixth day of the Eurocup against Lietkabelis, took advantage of the nine covered courts it has to promote its youth team to help those evacuated by this tragedy. The entity, along with others, collaborate to offer clothing, food and water. The Red Cross works to help people who need personalized attention because there are people who do not know the whereabouts of a family member and are desperate. «This is a drama of colossal circumstances. When they can access the homes, I don’t know what they are going to find… I hope God corrects me, but I think this has only just begun,” commented Santi Cañizares, former Valencia goalkeeper, on Radio Marca.

José Castillejo, a player trained in the youth ranks of Valencia and who played for Eldense, now in the Second Division, is one of the fatalities caused by the tragedy. The consequences of this DANA have affected not only daily life and the infrastructure of several cities, but also numerous sporting events, whose calendars have been disrupted. The football clubs that had a match to play this weekend in Valencia and its surroundings have seen their matches postponed, as they had requested. The decision affects all matches scheduled on the soil of the Valencia Community: Villarreal CF-Rayo Vallecano (Saturday, November 2), Valencia CF-Real Madrid (Saturday, November 2), CD Castellón-RC Ferrol (Sunday, November 3) , CD Eldense-SD Huesca (Sunday, November 3) and Levante UD-Málaga CF (Monday, November 4).

There is no Copa del Rey match that has been played in the Valencian Community. The first round of the Copa del Rey has been directly altered, with up to seven matches whose original schedule has had to be modified. The affected matches include Pontevedra-Levante, Parla Escuela-Valencia, Ejea-Hércules, Manises-Getafe, Xerez-Ceuta, Chiclana-Osasuna and Jove Español-Real Sociedad.

On the other hand, just two weeks before the celebration of the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Valencian Community, the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, in Cheste, has suffered significant damage. The access and parking areas were “seriously damaged” and require “urgent repair,” as confirmed by the event organization. Despite the damage, they are confident of being able to hold the event, although they recognize that the conditions may not be optimal. Images published by the organization show a large sinkhole at the main access to the circuit. The Ricardo Tormo Circuit experienced an accumulation of more than 200 liters per square meter in less than twelve hours, and the strong currents of water with mud and other materials coming from the Sechara ravine and the Rambla del Poyo have seriously damaged the accesses and areas of parking.

«The situation is what it is and first of all we have to help all the people who have been left homeless, who right now do not have a roof, food, all that. Has the grand prize been won or not? I don’t want to speak out, but for me… well, yes, I speak out: it would be a mistake. Ethically speaking,” says Marc Márquez in statements from Relevo.