Carboni: "The human factor is very important right now"

Italy is, along with Spain, the European country hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak so far. Former Valencia CF player Amedeo Carboni, who won the LaLiga title twice with the club, as well as the Copa del Rey, UEFA Cup, Spanish Supercopa and European Supercup, has been experiencing the situation first hand, respecting the social distancing and isolation guidelines in his homeland. The Italian spoke to VCF Media on Wednesday to explain what the circumstances are in Italy and how he is dealing with them.

"All of my family at home are fine, but like everybody we are suffering," said the former defender. "There are a lot of people who are suffering a lot more."
"Working is a big thing at the moment. Working is about helping people, and those who have customers are friends now. There is a positive factor in all of this, which is that it is bringing people together much more. The human factor is very important right now," explained Carboni.

"The news reports speak for themselves; it's a tough situation. Maybe it's a little worse in Italy, because we are 15 days ahead. There is a lack of resources, there aren't hospitals to host people who are really ill... and that's not just people with coronavirus, because there are also people who need treatment for other illnesses. People need medicine and attention which just isn't there."

Carboni himself is trying to contribute, working to help his homeland in any way that he can.

"We have pharmacies in Italy and we have some Chinese clients who have an abundance of masks and materials. We are trying to help with this. But just by talking to people who are alone helps us to take a very big step forward. The elderly feel even more alone at home in this situation."

"There is no alternative to this; we have to stick together and try to get through this," urged the legendary defender. "If we get through this -and I hope we do so as soon as possible- it will make us stronger. Life will be better for everybody. It makes no sense to look back, nor search for people to blame. At the moment, life has changed for everybody, until there is a medicine or a vaccine that can get rid of the virus. Until then, we are going to be a metre and a half away from everybody else."