Although many players and coaches asked to suspend all the matches of the last week due to the tragedy caused by the “cold drop” weather phenomenon, La Liga authorities decided to cancel only the matches in the affected areas. Even so, the stadiums ceased to be just temples of football to become examples of solidarity with the survivors.

Wave of solidarity in the face of tragedy

At least 219 dead, 93 missing and incalculable material damage. This is the balance of the storms that have mainly affected the Valencian Community but also Albacete and Andalusia, and is now reaching Catalonia. The devastated areas also suffer from the hand of criminals, who take advantage of the chaos and the abandonment of homes to enrich themselves. In total, the National Police have arrested almost two hundred people for this type of robbery.

However, millions of Spaniards have mobilized in the face of the tragedy in Valencia. Many of them help through their local clubs, which show solidarity with those affected by the flood and contribute by turning their stadiums into food and clothing collection centers.

Tweet Valencia CF https://x.com/valenciacf/status/1853737371721719853

— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) April 16, 2012

Estadio Metropolitano, Benito Villamarín, Balaídos, Son Moix, Butarque, Riazor, Coliseum, Reale Arena, RCDE Stadium and Rayo’s sports city are some of the examples. And at the epicenter, Estadi Ciutat de València and a Mestalla converted into the collection center for the Valencia Food Bank, which received 1,000 tons of basic products in just four days.

There was also no shortage of symbolic gestures, both on the field and in the stands. Many teams came out wearing T-shirts with Forza Valencia messages and dedicated their goals to those affected by the storm. In memory of the victims, in the Villarreal-Alavés match this Saturday, the Yellow Submarine for the first time in its history will stop wearing its home color to wear black jerseys. The flag of the Valencian Community appeared on the façade of Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán thanks to LED lighting and was also visible in a large tifo at Santiago Bernabéu before the Champions League match against Milan.

© Real Madrid

How many clubs, so many ways to help

However, the tifo was not Real Madrid's only way of helping, as it has decided not to collect food or clothing, but it did ally with the Red Cross in a donation campaign, which the club initiated by donating €1 million. Villarreal's owners also didn’t limit their support to a symbol, contributing with €250,000 both for the Red Cross and Caritas.

Barcelona also decided not organize a collection of products at its stadium arguing that humanitarian corridors are collapsing, but put the Catalan derby jerseys up for auction to donate the proceeds to the victims of the cold drop and recommended that its members make donations to the Red Cross,The Food Bank of Valencia and Caritas. Huesca and Real Zaragoza will also auction their jerseys after both teams’ clash, which will be held this Saturday at El Alcoraz.

© Real Sociedad

Meanwhile, Girona has decided to donate all the earnings from the match against Leganes, which was played on Saturday at Estadi Montilivi. Las Palmas will do the same with the ticket for the clash with Mallorca on November 23 at Estadio Gran Canaria.

Also noteworthy was the initiative of Atlético de Madrid, which did not limit itself to organizing a collection. The club also promised to make an economic contribution equivalent to the material value of the materials donated by its fans at Metropolitano before the match against Las Palmas.

Osasuna has communicated that it will contribute to the reconstruction of Massanassa, the hometown of their coach Vicente Moreno, and where he was seen helping just one day after defeating Valladolid at El Sadar. All of Spanish football is focused on helping those affected.