Published 12:52 IST, January 11th 2021
Real Madrid keeper slams LaLiga for overlooking Spain snowstorm, says ‘we’re not puppets'
Real Madrid shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois has expressed his anger at LaLiga after they were made to play their scheduled match in the middle of a snowstorm.
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Real Madrid shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois has expressed his anger at LaLiga after they were made to play their scheduled match against Osasuna amid an ongoing snowstorm in the country. Real Madrid staff and players were made to wait for over three hours as they were stuck in their plane to Pamplona before take-off because of heavy snow on Friday night.
Snowstorm in Spain
The snowstorm named Storm Filomena has affected Spain and wreaked havoc across the country. The snowstorm led to Madrid seeing more than two feet of snowfall on Friday. It also meant that the reigning LaLiga champions were forced to stay in Pamplona after the final whistle as the Barajas Airport was not reopened until Sunday.
LaLiga gives go-ahead for Osasuna vs Real Madrid despite snowstorm in Spain
LaLiga officials had a pitch inspection before giving their go-ahead for Real Madrid's match against Osasuna while the country was affected by a freak snowstorm. Los Blancos were made to play their match as scheduled with snow continuing to fall during the course of the game. Angst in the Real Madrid camp got worse as the LaLiga giants were held to a frustrating goalless draw.
🏁 FT: @caosasuna_en 0-0 @realmadriden #Emirates | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/e6G7NmAK7i
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 9, 2021
The Real Madrid goalkeeper spoke with the media after his side's frustrating draw. Speaking with Spanish network Movistar, Courtois started off by expressing his gratitude to the staff at Osasuna for what they did with the pitch. He later went on to blast LaLiga and said how the organization's decision to make them play was lamentable.
Thibaut Courtois added how LaLiga knew for a long time that it was going to happen but still made the Real Madrid team take their flight off a frozen runway. The Belgium international added how Real Madrid arrived at the stadium with the roads full of snow and revealed that LaLiga has to prioritize people's safety.
Courtois continued by adding how the players did what they were asked to do. The goalkeeper went on to say how Real Madrid knew that they could drop points if they didn't come here. However, he adds that all that LaLiga needed to do was take a look at the roads. He ended the conversation by mentioning that the players, the staff and everyone else also have families and are not puppets who have to play all the time.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane also did not shy away from criticizing the organizers for not postponing the Saturday night match in Osasuna due to the snowstorm.
12:52 IST, January 11th 2021