Haro, Jan 29 (EFE) soccer team called until now “El Mazo”.
De la Fuente attended this event accompanied by hundreds of people, including several of his relatives, the mayoress of Haro, Laura Rivado, and the president of the Rioja Football Federation, Jacinto Alonso.
The Haro City Council unanimously approved months ago to rename the municipality’s soccer field, which from today is called “Luis de la Fuente Municipal Stadium” in recognition of the career of the now coach, who began his sports career in Haro.
In addition, a large steel monolith with a photograph of Luis de la Fuente himself has been installed at the access to the facilities.
The coach has acknowledged feeling emotional from the beginning of the act and for this reason “I skip the protocol and formalities, because it is a very special day for me.”
“I have always been proud to be from Haro, today even more so, I am very excited”, highlighted the La Rioja coach, for whom “it is an honor to give its name to such a special course, which has been the link between generations of pitchers”, he stressed.
He recalled how “fathers, uncles and brothers” of dozens of families from Haro and nearby municipalities have played in Haro, including his own “because my uncles, my brothers, nephews have played in this team…”
De la Fuente has confessed that he has known three different locations of the Haro soccer field, in one of which, the second, he began to play “and this one now, where I have come several times as a coach.”
Between tears he has mentioned “all those who are not here” and has not forgotten his brother Óscar “who was a much better player than me” and who “is recovering from a setback.”
“You see me serious, but what happens is that I am very emotional and I can only thank everyone, my family, I love you very much,” De la Fuente insisted, hoping “that we will see each other for a long time here, in El Mazo », He said, laughing when he realized that the field from today is no longer called that.
The national coach has asked everyone “to love our town, Haro very much.”
The mayoress of Haro, Laura Rivado, has underlined the pride that Haro is in the coach “who gives us more than he says” and has stressed that the name of the field “is given to him for his entire career” and “for the culture of effort, responsibility and respect that you promote».
The president of the Riojan Football Federation has stressed that De la Fuente began his sports career in Haro and that as a coach he has been linked to the Spanish Football Federation since Angel María Villar signed him.