Daniel Catano he had been silent. He took refuge in his house, in his family, so as not to think so much about it, so as not to remember so much what happened on the field of Manuel Murillo Toro de Ibagué, when a Tolima fan attacked him, and he responded, and they sent him off, and received 3 sanction dates. He didn’t want to talk. But it was time.
Cataño spoke first with a goal. On Thursday he made a spectacular score for the victory against Universidad Católica de Ecuador, Millonarios advanced to phase 3 of the Copa Libertadores, and he smiled again. He had that restrained smile, but he finally released it, and then he decided to talk, to go back to that game and give his version of what happened.
cataño breaks silence
What is your reflection of what happened?
I cannot be oblivious to what happened, obviously I tried to protect myself with my family, just today I face the press, it was my way of living things, shielding my family, which is the most affected, one is more used to this , but for them it is more difficult. We were calm, in prayer, connected spiritually and to become strong as a family.
Now that you review what happened, why did you respond to the aggression?
Thinking about it calmly, what leads me to react like this is the blow from behind, betrayal, I can’t see it, I’m on the pitch, my workplace, where I feel safe, in a stadium, one imagines that there is logistics, police, one does not expect that, but when I receive the blow, without justifying my reaction because perhaps it is not the best, in my humanity I feel anger, anger from that moment for receiving the blow treacherously. My reaction was to try to reduce this guy and when I saw him on the ground I can’t deny that I felt like hitting him, but then God gave me the ability to stop, breathe and walk away… If he faces me head on It’s better that nothing happens, we don’t hit each other, but since I’m on my back, I feel the blow and that makes one react that way.
He regrets?
Completely. One as a human being has to learn from mistakes. I wish I could have reacted differently, but I couldn’t. This is to learn and know that in those moments hopefully one can be more calm. I don’t know how many can react like this or worse, but the idea is that it doesn’t happen again.
And if it happens again, would you react the same?
Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again. These are things that happen in a short time. It all depends on how one is. I don’t justify myself, but we are not free from this kind of thing. Let’s hope to set a better example if there’s a next one.
What do you think of the sanction?
It was something complex, I felt support from the football people; It is not because of the sanction but because of the issue of how it was handled: before sanctioning and setting a precedent, I think we had to protect the main players in soccer, in this case the players and coaching staff; I did not feel that support from the top, obviously we know that there are rules, laws that govern the sport, but I think that the context could have been well looked at and not having measured with the racer as it was measured, it could have been managed the situation taking into account that the player was attacked; I am not here to reproach anything, I made a mistake and I have to assume it. There is a date left to return to normality.
(You may be interested: The fan who attacked Daniel Cataño returned to the stadium and published a video)
Did you trust that the penalty would be lowered?
It was the idea, but in these legal disputes one tries to take everything to the last, in this case the lawyers do their job, but it is the disciplinary committee that makes the decision; The idea was to set a precedent in general, but in this case it was against the players, so that next time we know that we cannot react, that we have to have self-control, because the players will be affected, we will pay sanction dates . With the Libertadores it has been bearable, but if not, there are 3 dates. And that can cost a title, lose the rhythm of the game. Just accept and leave the message that it could have been handled differently.
Being the very important fan, we are the players in this game, they would have wanted Dimayor and the Committee to have set a precedent that we really are a fundamental part of this. It was no longer like that, we must turn the page.
In the Netherlands there was a similar case, the fan came in to hit and the goalkeeper reduced it… what do you think of that reaction he had?
I saw it, I analyzed it, but they are two different contexts, one of them is that in that game the aggressor invades the field and goes straight to the goalkeeper, in my case I have my back turned, I don’t see it, if my aggressor faces me from front I can go back, I can avoid being hit and avoid responding; it was a different case.
Tolima, first of all, wanted to play, and you didn’t…
It is that there are many interests, sports and football; obviously they were going to try to look at the best part for them as well as Millionaires, we felt that there were no guarantees, it was decided, it was supported and the decision was made.
And when the fans applaud the attacker, what message was that?
It is part of our society, it represents us as we are now. They are not all, we cannot generalize, but those who did it are so much to blame, they felt so identified with the aggressor that it was surely what many would have wanted to do. Each one acts with what he has in his heart.
Does the sanction to the fan seem fair?
No, I don’t have to say any of that, it doesn’t belong to me.
Do you prefer to forget about the aggressor?
You have to turn the page. Life does not end here.
The fan at the time apologized and said that he would like to send that message to you…
I don’t share it, I don’t understand it, because the times he was able to do it, he wanted to make me look like one of the culprits of this, I don’t know who was advising him, but he never apologized to us, if he regrets it and really apologized, he did it to the fans in Generally, it wasn’t for me.
Did you denounce the fan?
As it was public and was recorded on cameras, the association took charge of the issue; there were interests from the clubs so a complaint was made and that’s where we are.
Do you face each other on the 29th, how do you think the atmosphere could be?
Nothing, go play normal, do my job. Against Ibagué and Tolima and the entire department, only thanks for what I experienced there; one person does not represent the rest.
Are you already thinking about Mineiro?
Yes, it is a competitive rival, with a lot of history, with many scrolls at the level of Brazil and South America, it will be a great game.
PAUL ROMERO
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@PabloRomeroET
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