Spanish players defy FIFA over Finalissima v Argentina: ‘No risks’ | OneFootball

The footballers are joining coach Luis de la Fuente, who had already expressed his request to “look for another venue” for the match.

The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) issued a statement this Thursday in which they expressed their disagreement regarding the holding of the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain in Qatar, in the context of the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East in recent weeks.

In the message, published on its official website, the main union of Iberian players urged UEFA and CONMEBOL to change the venue, which for now is set to be the Lusail stadium: “Under no circumstances should it be played in a conflict zone so as not to put the integrity of our teammates at risk.”

The AFE also made this decision regarding a World Cup qualifying match that the women’s national team must play against Ukraine in Turkey, an area also affected by uncertainty surrounding the attacks: “We cannot ignore that, in this scenario, many places are susceptible to being targeted by missiles and any airspace could be closed at any moment without prior notice, which would leave the players in a very complicated situation.”

“On the other hand, and for the sake of consistency, it is very difficult to understand that, while different governments such as the Spanish one are proceeding to evacuate citizens from areas that may suffer acts of war, our teammates are traveling to one of those areas to play a football match,” it added.

This request from the union adds to what had already been expressed by the coach of the Spanish National Team, Luis de la Fuente, regarding the need to consider alternatives for holding the match: “The solution would be, I understand, that as long as it cannot be played there, another venue should be sought if possible. I think that’s more or less where the whole negotiation is heading. People are working at all levels.”

Even so, UEFA stated on Thursday that “no alternative venue is being considered” at the moment, and that its initial position is to wait until the end of next week to make a decision.

Meanwhile, all football in Qatar remains suspended until further notice, following the decision made by the country’s football federation on Sunday.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.