The COTIF International Soccer Tournament has paid an emotional tribute to former player Diego Armando Maradonawho died in 2020, with a statue, a shirt and a photograph at the entrance of the Els Arcs stadium, venue of the event
On the occasion of the presence of the Argentine men’s and women’s teams in the championship, the organizing team, in the run-up to the match between Valencia and Javier Mascherano’s team, paid tribute on the stadium’s pitch.
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Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA)Omar Souto, secretary of the AFA, and Javier Mascherano, former FC Barcelona player and current Argentina Under 20 coach, did not miss the appointment.
They look alike?
Tapia received from the hands of Eliseu Gómez, president of COTIF, the gold badge of the competition, becoming part of the honorary members of the tournament.
Salva Gomar, president of the Valencian Federation and vice president of the Spanish Football Federation, and Andreu Salom, mayor of l’Alcúdia, were also at the event, as well as other personalities and local authorities.
A photograph and a panoramic shirt of the Argentinian star greet the visitor at the entrance to the Els Arcs stadium this year.
the local artist Rafa Ferri has been commissioned to model a bust reminiscent of
Maradona in his youthd. His figure is being remembered throughout the competition.
Synonym of football and devotion
This act of homage was scheduled in a previous edition, but could not be held due to the restrictions imposed by Covid. Eliseu Gómez recalled that
Maradona is “synonymous with football, with passion, with devotion”, highlighting the legacy of a player named in numerous classifications as the best of the 20th century.
“He dazzled us all, he ignited the feeling of a town. A tribute to ‘Pelusa’ will always fall short«, added Gómez, who recalled that players like Icardi, Lautaro or Balerdi have been through the tournament.
“You don’t come here to hang out, you come to show that you want to play football in the elite. To fight for every ball. Great Maradona, see football, see COTIF«, added the president of the tournament. The tribute ended with a fireworks display.
However, the statue has not made a good impression, as the public has criticized it.
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EFE
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