Back
RCD Espanyol and Sevilla FC remember Jarque and Puerta
The clubs are honoured for their values at the Gala Fair Play
Joan Capdevila, Head of Sports Institutional Relations, and Xavier Andreu, Spokesperson and Director of Institutional Relations, represented RCD Espanyol at the Fair Play Gala organized by newspaper Mundo Deportivo at the headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE).
These awards recognise values linked to sport, such as respect for teammates and opponents, discipline, sacrifice, experiencing sport with camaraderie, and solidarity among teammates and groups.
RCD Espanyol, along with Sevilla FC, received this recognition for "honouring the memory of those who have inspired us on and off the pitch." Both clubs joined together last season to pay tribute to their respective legends Dani Jarque and Antonio Puerta, who tragically passed away suddenly in 2009 and 2007, respectively.
Capdevila and Andreu accepted the award on behalf of RCD Espanyol, while Joaquín Caparrós, honourary president, and Pablo Blanco, club ambassador, did so for Sevilla FC.
Andreu stated that “this award should guide sportsmen, just as Dani has guided us from heaven for the past 16 years. The club’s training facilities bear his name, and the captains wear the number 21 on the armband. We experience every match with the number 21 present. This brotherhood between Sevilla and Espanyol, also united by Antonio Puerta, reminds us that we must have values and be good people. We have kept his memory alive every day, despite the tragedy.”
Capdevila explained that “athletes are role models for people and examples for children. It’s not all about winning. It’s about being better tomorrow than you are today.”