More than 200 deaths were recorded as floods hit the Eastern part of Spain, with Valencia affected.
Villarreal forward Ayoze Perez has hit out at LaLiga, saying players and coaches should not have to raise concerns by themselves about playing matches.
The Spanish FA had postponed seven midweek Cup games, scheduled for Valencia’s eastern region.
However, matches in the other regions of Spain went ahead, despite the likes of Barcelona coach Hansi Flick and Atletico Madrid gaffer Diego Simeone insisting it made no sense to play.
LaLiga supremo Javier Tebas stated on November 2nd that it was best for the league to continue, with games being played in the areas which were not affected, saying: “The best message is to be on the front line in our workplaces like all workers in other sectors.”
Quizzed about the league’s action in response to the disaster, Perez said;
“We shouldn’t have reached the point that coaches and players had to come out and give their opinion because ultimately it’s so clear… We’re talking about a catastrophe,” he said to reporters.
“We had to be at Valencia’s side. Football comes second, or third. What mattered was all those people affected.”
Perez’s Villarreal did not play their match against Rayo Vallecano in the immediate aftermath of the floods but returned to action the following week against Deportivo Alaves.
“The minute’s silence [before the match] was very emotional,” Perez said.
“Villarreal is so close to Valencia that we were so conscious that it was not the best conditions in which to play a game.
“The decision was not in our hands; we had to play, and so we did. But we all agreed that we shouldn’t have.”
