“What surprises me is that sometimes we are more important to stop a sporting event than a genocide.” Borja Iglesias, a Spanish striker who plays in Celta de Vigo, has defended at a press conference the protesters who have mobilized in recent weeks against the Israel Premier Tech team and in defense of Palestine and have caused the interruption of two stages of the cycling return. “I don't finish understanding it much,” added the footballer.
“Obviously it is something that is very present in everyone's life. I think we are very aware of the situation we are living. There are times when we have to stand, we must claim what I think is mandatory: human rights, respect, which many times is not,” said Iglesias. The athlete considers that “any situation is good to do so, to make this something a little better and to be aware of the injustices in the world.”
The words of Iglesias took place during the press conference on the occasion of their signing for the Vigo club until 2028, after a season assigned by Real Betis. A journalist asked the player about stage 16 of La Vuelta, the one held last Tuesday in the province of Pontevedra and whose end had to be advanced 8 kilometers by the Prolastina protests.
After his statements, the reporter challenged Iglesias about whether he agreed with the words of cyclist Jonas Vingegaard. The leader in the general classification of the competition said Monday in an interview that those who protest do it “for a reason” and that “what is happening is terrible.” It was at this time that the striker was surprised because he “more importance to stop a sporting event than to a genocide.”
It is not the first time that the player is pronounced regarding social issues. In 2023, Iglesias was the protagonist of a campaign to denounce homophobia in football, in which he turned to the reality suffered by people from the LGTBI collective. “I'm Borja Iglesias and I'm heterosexual,” began that video.
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