“This Directing Center advises against holding the Spain-Mexico Sub-20 match in Ceuta under current circumstances, as the necessary security conditions for the proper development of the event cannot be guaranteed.” That is the Spanish Interior Ministry’s wording, as reported by El Mundo, in a letter urging the football federation to move the September 30 fixture.
The ministry, headed by Fernando Grande-Marlaska, cited “migration pressure” and “social tension” as the reasons it could not spare the police. It recommended that the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) urgently consider another venue. If the RFEF follows the advice, El Mundo noted, the match will almost certainly go elsewhere. The federation was still reviewing the letter and had named no new city.
Crowds, cameras and short notice
A police report seen by El Espanol said the game would probably draw a much bigger crowd than is usual for this age group. That would strain local security plans and demand a large increase in officers. The Alfonso Murube stadium also has no Organizational Control Unit and no CCTV system, which police treat as basic for big events. El Periodico reported that the gaps were flagged in the report sent with the ministry’s advice. Bringing in extra staff and equipment on this notice, the ministry said, is not possible.
A gesture of solidarity
The match was announced on September 18 as a symbolic show of support for Ceuta, after a visit by RFEF president Rafael Louzan. The federation had been active in the city through the crisis. Louzan and national coach Luis de la Fuente went, and in September they presented the World Cup trophy to Juan Jesus Vivas, president of the Autonomous City, and promised a national team would play there. The Mexican federation had not publicly confirmed its participation when the ministry stepped in.
Club football in Ceuta carries on. The Alfonso Murube is still due to host AD Ceuta FC against Real Valladolid on Sunday at 16:15, and local sides have played recent home games against UD Las Palmas and Celta Fortuna.
