Colombian-born baseball player Edgar Renteria, who will arrive in Colombia Thursday, says that he would rather his fans support Colombia’s flood victims than spend money on welcoming him to the country.
Renteria will be arriving in his home town of Barranquilla on Thursday. El Tiempo reports that he sent a statement to the governor of the Atlantico department stating, “I thank the Mayor Alejandro Char, Governor Eduardo Verano and especially the great sports fans for their intention to organize a tribute to my arrival in Barranquilla, but I feel that at this moment there are more important things in my homeland.”
The sports star said that the Colombian government should “address the suffering of many families that, due to severe winter storms, have been left homeless and without food.”
Renteria won the World Series for the San Francisco Giants last week.