- The former national coach will be the ambassador of 30 years of inclusive sports at Envera.
- During his presentation, he also spoke in an interview on Radio Terrícola about the Spanish Football Federation and its sporting titles.
Madrid | February 27, 2020
The former national coach Vicente del Bosque has declared that he "finds it horrifying that there are segregated federations for people with disabilities. Everyone -he added- has their own opinion and we have to respect it, but sport is sport for everyone, we are all sportsmen and women and we are all equal". Del Bosque made these statements in response to questions from reporters from Radio Terrícola, the radio station of Envera, a non-profit organization that assists more than 2,500 people with intellectual disabilities every year and trains 300 athletes. Vicente del Bosque will be the ambassador of 30 years of inclusive sport in Envera.
The president of Envera, José Antonio Quintero, thanked Vicente del Bosque for his support as sports ambassador "in this important year, which we celebrate full of energy and committed to the effort and work required to beat new records and, most importantly, to play the game of life with equal opportunities, convinced that we can all be the best at something". Quintero encouraged athletes with disabilities to be brave "not only on the track, the court or the grass, but also to put an end to the segregation of sports federations so that we are all part of the same thing, of sport with capital letters, and so that our Paralympians are not a point and apart. We are different," he said, "but also unique, irreplaceable and important.
During the big event held at the Envera sports center, in its Integral Disability Center in Colmenar Viejo (Madrid), Vicente del Bosque also explained that "life has put me in the showcase of being able to give visibility to disability and that every day society sees us all much better. I have a kid like you -he said- and society must see us perfectly integrated in school, at work and, what is more important, in society".
In addition, when asked by reporters, he had words for the Royal Spanish Football Federation, of which he said that "it has worked very well for many years and that is where the results have come from. It is not only professional soccer, what comes out in the shop window of the one who wins every day, of the senior Spanish national team, but everything that is done in the other categories, and that has to be promoted. The Federation works well, and it is not a recent thing, but it has been doing a great job for many years. When you win," he added, "it doesn't happen by chance, but because things have been done well.
Finally, Del Bosque referred to the World Cup as the trophy that has made him most excited for "the meaning of representing my country and because the Spanish national team, which is now 100 years old, had never won it and in 2010 we had the luck, the talent, the quality of the players and because things had been done well in Spanish soccer. Undoubtedly, I'll keep the World Cup because of what it meant for all of Spain".
Envera - Asociación de Empleados de Iberia Padres de Personas con Discapacidad will celebrate throughout 2020, and with the sponsorship of Iberia, its 30th anniversary of inclusive sports with a soccer and basketball league, popular races, CSR sports days and a Sports Gala in which it will recognize personalities of the Spanish society who have been inspiration and support to reach this point.
"We are different, but also unique and irreplaceable" Envera's president thanks Vicente del Bosque for his support, his light and his strength https://t.co/BuJYk8o2Or
- Envera 💚 (@Grupo_Envera_) February 26, 2020
