The delegate of the Government of the Junta de Andalucía, Aránzazu Martín, accompanied by the delegate of Tourism, Culture and Sport, José Ángel Vélez, the vice-president of the Royal Andalusian Football Federation, Pablo Lozano, the U21 coach, Santi Denia, the mayoress of Almería, María del Mar Vázquez, as well as the deputy for sports, José Antonio García, presented the U21 football match that the Spanish national team will play in the province of Almería.
The U21 national team will return to Almería, seven years later, to play a friendly match. It will take place on Friday 24 March at the Power Horse Stadium. A match that will be held thanks to the collaboration between the Royal Spanish Football Federation and the Royal Andalusian Football Federation with the Junta de Andalucía, the Diputación Provincial, the City Council and UD Almería.
The Government delegate, Aránzazu Martín Moya, stressed that «this meeting will serve to bring Almeria fans closer to the national team and show how the province of Almeria is capable of organising top level sporting events. We are sure that the people of Almeria will support our national team». Martín added that «we have a first class stadium, with a first class team and we are confident that it will continue to maintain its status in the Golden Category of Spanish football for many years to come. Thanks to the recent agreement signed between the Junta de Andalucía and Unión Deportiva Almería, we will continue to expand sports facilities, and soon the red and white club will start the construction of its new Sports City in the area of El Toyo and Retamar».
During her speech, the Mayoress of Almería City Council, María del Mar Vázquez, expressed her pride and gratitude «for having chosen the capital of Almería as the venue for the friendly match of the Spanish Under-21 national team». In this way, the mayoress stressed that «Almeria is a city that lives sport with intensity, it is one of our hallmarks as reflected in the municipal sports schools, which are celebrating the Municipal Sports Games with 8,000 children».
The provincial deputy for Sport and Youth, José Antonio García, was proud to be able to enjoy this great sporting spectacle in the province: «The Provincial Council had to be involved in this event because it fulfils the objective of promoting sport in the province and is also a platform for exporting the name of Almería to the rest of the world. The climate and the characteristics of our land are the ideal destination for events that respond to the binomial tourism and sport».
The vice-president of the Royal Andalusian Football Federation, Pablo Lozano, acknowledged that «the Andalusian Regional Government decided that this autonomous community should be the home of football, and of the Spanish national team, as well as the home of the major events organised by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Furthermore, Lozano explained that «from this administration it has been a great success for this match to be played in Almeria, as an ideal place, to which we had to return now.
For his part, the U21 coach, Santi Denia, has highlighted that «our home is Andalusia and Almeria, and that’s why we will try to make sure that the fans can enjoy a good show.» Denia has thanked «the Federation, which has given him the opportunity to lead this U21 team and to start our journey on 24 March here in Almeria».
Tickets for the match will go on sale this Tuesday, 14 March. Tickets for the match, which will take place at the Power Horse Stadium – Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, will be available from 18:00. The prices established for the sale, which will only be carried out through tickets.rfef.es, are 10 euros in the preference zone and 8 euros in the end zone (booking fees not included). In addition, there will be an unlimited 2×1 promotion on tickets while stocks last.
The match against Switzerland will serve as preparation for the European Championship, which will be played in Georgia and Romania in June and July. All the institutions involved have highlighted the excitement with which Almeria will receive this match of the U21 national team, the second time that the national team will play in this stadium and the fourth time that it will visit the city of Almeria.