The alarms were ringing on the mobile phones of all the journalists five minutes before the start of the Spanish team’s training session scheduled for this Monday at 6 p.m. in Chattanooga. A tornado warning recommended seeking shelter “in a basement or inside a room on the lowest level of a secure building”.
Screenshot of one of the messages we received on mobile phones.
The players still jumped onto the grass, but the session on it only lasted 20 minutes: “The training of the Spanish team, after 20 minutes on the Baylor School grass and following the United States storm safety protocol, has moved to the gym where the players have continued with their preparation to face the last game of the group stage against Uruguay”communicated the RFEF.
A strict protocol
According to American protocol, players and staff must take shelter in the locker rooms if lightning is detected at a distance of 10 miles (16 km). Besides, activity cannot be resumed until lightning is more than 10 miles away and 30 consecutive minutes have passed without any electrical shock being recorded.