Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room at Real Madrid City to discuss the Champions League matchday four clash between Real Madrid and Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu (Tuesday, 9pm CET): “A week has passed since the tragedy unfolded in Valencia. We're very sad and we're very close to all the people affected. Hopefully, this can be dealt with soon. In this respect, I want you to understand that talking about football at this time is difficult, just like playing”.
“We're part of this country and it all touches us deeply. Out of respect for you and all those who are suffering, I will try to keep the press conference as simple as possible, because I don't feel like talking about football. It's a special game tomorrow and I'd really like to talk a lot about it, but out of respect I'll try to talk as little as possible”.
Preparing for a match in these circumstances
“It's very difficult as you don't have your mind on your work all the time. Inevitably, it affects everybody. When you hear and read what has happened, it's unbelievable and terrible. We have prepared for this game because we are professionals and we will try to play and win it. That's what we have to do”.
On the league match
“The football world was quite clear. Nobody wanted to play. It seemed like the right decision, but we're not the ones in charge and we have to respect the decisions of those higher up”.
Professionalism
“We don't really want to speak about football because, in comparison to what happened in Valencia, it's not important. It's our profession and we carry on, but everything else is secondary”.
Football had to stop
“There are a lot of ways to help. Football should have stopped this weekend and it should help, even if it didn't stop. Football is a party and you can celebrate when things are going well, but when they're not going well there's no celebration to be had. It's the most important of the unimportant things in life. But like I said, we are employees, we are not the ones in charge”.
On the management of the tragedy provoked by the DANA
“I can't comment on that, I can only attempt to help as much as I can. People are frustrated and that's normal, but I'm not here to evaluate what the politicians have done. I don't have the capacity to do that, I just feel sad to see so many people affected in this way. It's hard to think about the situation in 2024, with all the information we have. We can tell the exact time when it's going to rain and we're not able to deal with these kinds of tragedies”.
Citizen reaction
“I have never seen anything like this. I've been informed and it's an unbelievable catastrophe. People are helping so much and that's what every citizen has to do, wake up and try to do everything possible to help those affected”.
On the Ballon d'Or
“It's over now, we congratulate all the winners and that's it. My Ballon d'Or was awarded to me on 1 June, when we won the European Cup. It's been a difficult week because the atmosphere is unusual. However, we're not sad because of that, the atmosphere is different because of what's happening in Spain”.
Vini Jr.
“He's sad, like all of us. We understand what's going on. Unfortunately we've had more time to prepare for this game and, in that sense, he's trained well, like everyone else. He's sad, but not because he didn't win the Ballon d'Or”.
What's your political assessment?
“Politics is a very complex subject, not just in Spain but in every country. I don't know what the politicians are to blame for in this case, but I understand the frustration of people who have lost everything. It's understandable”.
Abiding by external decisions
“We have zero power. We can't make any kind of decision. All the coaches had the same opinion not to play. Some of them have played and they have played reluctantly. I'm not the right person to give an opinion. There is a phrase that says that the show must go on, but that's not the case. Sometimes decisions are made and we have to do things we don't feel like doing”.