Secretary of State for Sport Miguel Cardenal says there is no reason to consider cancelling El Clasico in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris on Friday.
The friendly between France and Germany at the Stade de France was one of the locations targeted in attacks that killed 129 people and security has been stepped up for Saturday’s game as Barcelona travel to Real Madrid.
“There’s no reason to call off Madrid-Barcelona,” Cardenal is quoted as saying by AS, adding he wanted to send a message of ‘peace and normalcy.’
“Everyone in Spain agrees with these circumstances. There’ll always be maximum security measures required.
“We are in the best hands. We have the strength and security of the state, who know how to protect us. We’re primarily interested in that nothing happens for a circumstance that the match could be stopped.
“I understand the alarm after a brutal attack as in Paris but we must pay attention to those who know about this. We’re in permanent contact with the Ministry of the Interior and they tell us the message is peace and normalcy.
“There’s no particular reason for prevention that wasn’t there 15 days ago. Security measures in our country are extraordinary. There will always be the highest security measures that are required at all times.
“Special measures are taken every week. We’ve suffered attacks by ETA in Spain in days of celebration, days where stadiums have been evicted at maximum capacity. It was done in a normal way and worked very well.”
