Setpember 6th, 2009 (cont.)
I shook as I dropped the finger. There was small writing on it, but I ignored it. A finger? In a football boot?
‘This has to be a prank!’
I ran downstairs to report it instantly. The only receptionist there was the Portuguese speaking lady, so I asked for Estela. ‘Not here’ she managed to blurt out. I slammed the counter with my fist.
“You listen to me now, love,” I started, “you get Estela here right now. I have a very serious issue I would like to discuss and need to do it immediately. Get her.”
She looked at me with a blank expression, then continued to dial Estela’s number. She walked through the door at the same time, and with a huge sigh of relief, I repeated my previous quote.
“Come, there has been a major problem.”
I followed her into one of the back rooms of the hotel and sat down in front of some 30 TVs, all with separate pieces of news. It felt like a secret police hiding.
She switched every one off except one to drag my attention towards that specific piece of news. It was headlined (roughly translated) ‘Terror at football camp’. She explained what had happened thoroughly but very, very quickly. She had already spoken to the police and they were on their way to investigate immediately. I had been advised by Estela to go home, as well as Luis Figo’s suggestion.