Del Bosque: Spain were not afraid

Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque says his squad felt perfectly safe in Brussels despite their friendly with Belgium being cancelled over security concerns.

The terror attacks in Paris last Friday prompted Belgium’s footballing authorities to postpone Tuesday’s match with the European champions as they could not guarantee safety for players and spectators.

Speaking as the Spain party prepared to fly back to Madrid on Tuesday, Del Bosque maintains his side were keen to play the game but understood the fears of the organisers.

“We don’t quite know why it was suspended but we can suppose,” he said. “We were looking forward to playing the match, it was the last of this year and it was convenient to play, but the security motives were strong.

“We were not afraid at all. We were calm at the hotel, there was no problem. We trained, we prepared for the game like any other, but the authorities could not guarantee the safety of everyone, players and spectators.”

Speaking before the game was cancelled, Del Bosque had stressed that the Euro 2016 finals should go ahead as planned in France despite the concerns over security.

And the former Real Madrid boss maintained his stance despite Tuesday’s cancelled match, adding: “We’re here for sport and to entertain people. The games should be held as normal. Hopefully the Euros will be held in France and within the usual limits.”