Javier Tebas defends LaLiga protocol after Levante-Athletic was called off amid orange alert | OneFootball

“We are being assigned responsibilities we do not have,” Javier Tebas said as he defended LaLiga’s protocol after heavy rain forced Levante v Athletic to be postponed. He added that if the Government Delegation had urged suspension, it would have been done.

According to El Correo, Tebas said: “The orange alert came at two in the afternoon on matchday. In Spain matches are often played with orange alerts and when that happens we monitor almost by the minute, staying in contact with the clubs. At six there was even sun and during the warm-up there was no downpour.”

“The referee decides if the match is suspended. It is not our suspension. If we had to suspend matches for every orange alert, we would have an even bigger calendar problem.”

Levante criticised the protocol and match scheduling in a letter, calling for deep reflection and saying almost 10,000 supporters were left facing a dangerous night on the roads. Valencia’s Government Delegate, Pilar Bernabé, also questioned why outdoor sports venues must close under orange alerts yet a match was not treated the same.

The scoreboard announced the postponement at 21:22, eight minutes before kick-off, after a storm that began at 20:30 quickly flooded the pitch. A Civil Protection alert hit phones at 22:08 as fans left the Ciutat de València and surrounding streets filled with water, and security moved on those waiting outside.

Source: El Correo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”