PSG cancels gala dinner out of respect for Sergio Rico after the Spanish goalkeeper was hospitalized when he fell off a horse as President Nasser Al-Khelaifi expresses his ‘full support and heartfelt sympathy during this ordeal’
Paris Saint-Germain has canceled a gala dinner out of respect for goalkeeper Sergio Rico.
The Ligue 1 champions have called off their Foundation and Endowment Fund Gala, scheduled for Tuesday night, following the former Fulham goalkeeper’s accident.
The Spanish stopper suffered a head injury after falling from a horse and was airlifted to a hospital in Seville by helicopter on Sunday morning.
According to a club statement published on Tuesday, the decision was ‘inevitable’ and came from Les Parisiens chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
“The current situation requires our full attention and forces us to abandon our traditional gala,” he said.
PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has called off the club’s gala dinner, according to a statement
Spain goalkeeper Sergio Rico suffered a head injury after falling from a horse near Sevilla
“The entire Paris Saint-Germain family has been deeply affected by the tragedy that befell Sergio Rico and his loved ones.
“On behalf of all the Club’s teams, I would like to assure them of our full support and heartfelt sympathy during this ordeal.”
The dinner would take place for the seventh time and has often been used as an opportunity for the club to showcase their performance from the previous campaign.
Rico is said to have made a pilgrimage to Huelva on horseback when he got off his horse.
PSG players had been given the day off by manager Christophe Galtier after clinching the Ligue 1 title on Saturday, with the player returning to his hometown of Sevilla before beginning his journey on horseback.
Rico has received messages of support from the football community following his accident, with Sevilla wishing him a ‘speedy recovery’ on Twitter.
His wife Alba Silva has been posting on social media while her husband is in hospital.
She had initially posted a positive message online, saying: ‘Thank you for all the love you have for us.
Rico spent the majority of his career with Sevilla and returned to Spain for the second half of last season at Mallorca, having endured spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League side Fulham.
A statement from PSG confirmed that the event – scheduled for Tuesday night – had been cancelled
“Sergio has a lot of people praying for him and he is very strong. I have no words to describe what I feel.’
On Tuesday, however, she sent a second, perhaps more disturbing message, writing, “Don’t leave me, my love, for I swear I can’t.” I don’t know how to live without you. We love you very much.’
The player spent most of his career with Sevilla, but has also been loaned out to the likes of Fulham and PSG, eventually signing permanently in 2020 in a £5.2 million deal.
The 29-year-old spent the second half of the 2021/22 season on loan at Mallorca, making just 24 appearances for the French titans, with Gianluigi Donnarumma regularly holding his No. 1 spot between the sticks.