The match played this Saturday between CB Valls and Ibersol CBT ended marked by aggressions attributed to a small group of local fans, facts that, according to the Tarragona team, endangered the integrity of the fans located in the visitor stands. The match pitted two historic Catalan basketball teams against each other.
Discomfort of Ibersol CBT after the match
Toni Larramona, member of Ibersol CBT, started by congratulating the opponent for the result. He also framed the duel as a sample of the province's level in this sport.
"First, congratulate Valls for the victory" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
"I think that it has been a game that shows that Tarragona basketball enjoys good health" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
That recognition did not prevent a harsh criticism for what happened during the encounter. Larramona assured that his team went to compete and found itself with a context that went beyond what was strictly sporting.
"I cannot be satisfied with the defeat, but I believe Valls has played its cards. They may be more legitimate or not. We came to play a basketball game and we found something else" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
Along the same lines, he/she lamented the insults received and warned of the effect that this atmosphere can have in a pavilion with the presence of families and minors.
"It's been a shame about the insults directed at us" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
"I think that the rivalry has to be healthy and this is bad for basketball, especially because today there were many families and many children" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
Larramona went further and maintained that what happened projects a bad image for CB Valls.
"I think that it is not a good image for a club like CB Valls" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
The tension affected the visiting team
During the match, Larramona explained that he had to enter the court to calm his players. He recounted that the proximity of family members and close acquaintances in the stands raised the emotional tension on the visiting bench.
"I have entered the field to calm my players" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
"They have become very nervous because they had the families there, the parents, the girlfriends, etc., and in the end they are people" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
The representative of the CBT remarked that the emotional impact was evident, although he highlighted the restraint of the squad despite the provocations.
"Emotionally what has happened has touched us" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
"The attitude they have had, they have not fallen into any provocation nor into any insult" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
Even with that scenario, the team tried to complete the encounter with normality and focus on the game.
"We have tried to finish the game and do our things" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
An extension conditioned by the emotional aspect
Ibersol CBT also linked the outcome of the match to the accumulated fatigue. Larramona stated that in overtime the team did not feel comfortable and detailed one of the actions that, in his opinion, turned out decisive.
"In overtime we haven't managed to feel comfortable" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
"As soon as we came out, we committed an error in the placement of the band and Besora hit us with a three-pointer" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
The final analysis of the match insisted on the lack of success in the decisive minutes and on the weight that the lived context had on the team's performance.
"Today we were very bad at the end, very little accurate, we have not been fluid, although the emotional component has taken its toll on us" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
The CBT already looks to the final stretch of the season
After this match, the Tarragona team is already focusing its attention on the upcoming commitments on the calendar. Larramona advanced that the team now faces the matches against Igualada and Barbastro with the intention of arriving in good condition for the playoff.
"Now it's time to face the Igualada match, face the Barbastro match and try to get everything that's left and prepare the Playoff" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
The final message from the Ibersol CBT representative was one of sporting reaffirmation and also of defense of a rivalry without excesses. The club wants to close the season maintaining an image of competitiveness and respect both towards rivals and towards fans.
"In the last games we will see a serious CBT, a team very honored by its effort, humble and that respects the opponent, that respects the fans" - Toni Larramona, Ibersol CBT
The match thus leaves a favorable sporting result for CB Valls, but also a public complaint from Ibersol CBT about incidents in the stands that overshadowed part of what was experienced on the court and reopen the debate about the limits of rivalry in grassroots and semi-professional sports in Tarragona.