Spanish FA postpones Copa del Rey games after fatal train crash

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has postponed all 24 Copa del Rey first-round matches scheduled for Wednesday. The decision was made in solidarity following a tragic train crash in Toledo province that killed at least 30 people.

The accident occurred around 9 a.m. local time on the Madrid-Seville high-speed rail line near the town of Urda. Two trains collided and derailed, leaving dozens injured. The RFEF released a statement expressing its shock. "Shocked by the tragic train accident," the federation said, adding that "the entire Spanish football community stands united in grief over this tragedy and has made itself available to the authorities to assist the victims of this devastating accident."

The cup competition had begun on Tuesday with 18 matches, but those set for the following day, including fixtures like Navalcarnero against Real Betis, Salamanca against Celta Vigo, and Tavernes against Valencia, were called off. The RFEF stated it would provide a revised tournament schedule later. For now, the 14 first-round games scheduled for Thursday have not been postponed, and the league has not announced any changes for the weekend's fixtures.

Several top clubs quickly showed their support. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid offered condolences to the victims' families, while Sevilla FC observed a moment of silence and cancelled manager Luis García Plaza's pre-match news conference. Atlético de Madrid also issued a message of condolence, and Valencia CF postponed its morning training session.

This stoppage comes as the Spain national team is on a strong run of form. La Roja is on a four-game winning streak, most recently beating Croatia 1-2 on October 6, and is preparing for its next fixture, a qualifier away to the Czech Republic on November 12. The team, which tops its qualifying group, can check its full schedule on our fixtures page. The federation has not yet announced if this tragic event will affect the national team's preparations. Manager Luis de la Fuente, who was in Toledo for a federation event, immediately cancelled his public schedule upon hearing the news.

The original report is at aljazeera.com