Snow postpones the Real Zaragoza-Andorra match, which still has no date for celebration

Due to snow, the 23rd round match between Real Zaragoza and Andorra, scheduled for 20:30 in La Romareda, was postponed this Friday. The impressive snowfall, which began in the capital of Aragon around 14:00, reached significant levels at 15:30 and stopped only after 21:30. in a very short time he covered the grass of the municipal stadium with a blanket up to 8 centimeters thick. which, as events progressed, proved to be an impediment to the controversy of this league duel.

From the moment it was realized that the snowfall had consequences far greater than those predicted in any weather forecast issued in the previous hours, until the decision was made to suspend the match (around 21:00 ), six hours passed unprecedented in the history of Real Zaragoza. Extraordinary in all its extent, with snow in the middle and with countless details bordering on the real grotesque.

Firstly, the Zaragoza club, due to its geographical position (just over 200 meters above sea level, its historical snowfall patterns since the Roman Empire (rare, sporadic) does not have material “specifically” for these cases. What happened yesterday was an anomalous episode, which, when he needed tools to quickly clear the snow, they were not at hand, neither in quantity nor in effectiveness. In this regard, there is little to blame for Real Zaragoza, who did everything they could on the trot as events unfolded and the demands of the case unfolded.

On the other hand, in a short period of 15 minutes, around 17:00, conversations and discussions converged between those in charge of La Liga, the referees, the leaders and managers of the two teams and the television company holding the rights. transfers a number of factors that complicated the sailor’s solution to the impossible return.

The League has said from the beginning that the priority is the game. That everything possible had to be done to achieve this. The referees immediately raised the issue of VAR (video refereeing), whose technical basis for the safe coverage of contested games from the VOR room in Las Rozas (Madrid) requires that the lines of the field be visible clearly, flawlessly and uninterruptedly. But this did not happen with a completely white field. So, Either these horizontal landmarks were properly cleared and the cameras that VAR uses for its delicate mission were properly calibrated, or a match was impossible.

At the same time, the TV channel Movistar (Vamos) immediately pointed out a serious logistical problem: the mobile devices installed on the outskirts of La Romareda to broadcast the match signal, according to their work schedule every weekend, were supposed to break down this Saturday. cover the Espanyol-Villarreal B match at the Cornella-El Prat stadium in Barcelona. That is, at the end of the match in Zaragoza, after dismantling all the wiring and technical devices of La Romareda, they had to travel to the city of Barcelona in the early morning hours to continue their service.

And from the two remaining legs of the bench Andorra always showed an advantageous position to play.even if it took place on a playing field heavily damaged by snow, while Real Zaragoza has always maintained that it was an insult, a huge risk for the players and, above all, a monumental lack of respect for its subscribers and fans (who are in the majority of them will not be able to enter the stands) will face this championship duel in a scenario as rigged and risky as the snow-covered La Romareda last night.

In this confusion of intentions, interests, opinions and different opinions, all the threads moved until the very end of the surreal film, which took place at 21:00 with a final pause.

Was more than an hour and a half, and the decision centers have concluded that it is safe to play, even if there was a delay of one or two hours. For La Liga and television it did not matter that a match scheduled for 20:30 could, if necessary, start at 22:30.

That is why the snow was ordered to be cleared from the surface of the field. A small tractor with a front loader was brought in, and soon after another small machine was brought in to clear the lines.. Club operators searched everywhere for hand shovels, several dozen. It was important to give VAR the support it needed to get going. Without VAR this would not have been possible. The first strip clearing, which was done by hand around 5:30 p.m., was covered with more snow within an hour. VAR complained from Madrid. The links could not be removed. If not, then it is useless.

The television platform put pressure on its mobile content, its broadcast trucks, to ensure the planned coverage of Zaragoza. (hence the match played) and didn’t force them to rush off at an ungodly hour to look for a possible crew to cover the Espanyol-Villarreal B match this afternoon in Barcelona, ​​which eventually happened when the trucks had to Sleep moved to La Romareda last night, waiting , when the Real Zaragoza-Andorra discord match finally takes place.

Meanwhile, having stepped on the snow itself at the stadium, Andorra began to express its indignation at Real Zaragoza’s attitude, as it believed that the interest of Zaragoza fans in solving the pressing problem of snow removal was limited., close to zero. They wanted the game to happen. And from the very beginning, within the Aragonese formation, the holding of a football match in such extremely unfavorable conditions was not viewed favorably. The Zaragoza leaders held a kind of “low-voice” demonstration during which they expressed their irritation and surprise at the harsh positions emanating from various sources of power regarding the holding of this match.

With the match suspended, everything depends on the decision of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) competition referee Carmen Perez Gonzalez. The federation itself has stated that this decision will be made as soon as possible, but at the moment, around midnight this Friday, it has not yet been made.