Spanish football stopped on Wednesday. The Spanish Football Federation postponed all 24 Copa del Rey first-round matches scheduled for that day in respect and solidarity with the victims of the Toledo train crash, in which two high-speed trains collided near Urda on Wednesday morning and 68 people were killed.
The federation said it was acting "as a mark of respect and solidarity with all the victims of the tragic railway accident" in the province of Toledo. "The entire Spanish soccer community stands united in grief over this tragedy and has made itself available to the authorities to assist the victims of this devastating accident," it added. The order reached beyond the cup: every other match in the federation's competitions that day was also called off, including nine ties in the futsal cup.
Five top-flight clubs were due to begin their cup runs on Wednesday — Valencia, away to Tavernes de la Valldigna; Real Betis, away to Navalcarnero; Celta Vigo, away to Salamanca; Alavés, away to Anaitasuna; and Levante, away to Tarancón. None of them played. The round had opened with 18 ties on Tuesday, and the 14 ties set for Thursday were not postponed. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad were never affected — the four enter the cup in the round of 32.
On Thursday the federation set the new dates, spreading the 24 ties from October 29 to November 13. Nine were played on Thursday itself, alongside the day's scheduled matches. Alavés go to Anaitasuna on November 3 and Levante to Tarancón on November 5, while Betis visit Navalcarnero on November 12 and Celta close the round at Salamanca on November 13 — in the middle of the international break, with their players away on national-team duty.
The football that did go ahead carried the mourning with it. Every Copa del Rey tie played on Thursday began with a minute's silence, and the federation asked players to wear black armbands; the same minute's silence will open this weekend's league matches in the first and second divisions. On Wednesday night a minute's silence was held before Real Madrid's women's Champions League match at Bayern Munich, where the Madrid players wore black armbands, and the club's men's squad stood in silence before training at Ciudad Real Madrid. "Real Madrid wishes to express its deepest sorrow over the tragic railway accident," the club said, extending its condolences to the families of those who died and its support to the emergency services. Barcelona expressed "its deepest condolences to the victims," and Atlético Madrid said it joined "in the grief for the victims."
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