Seville, one of the hottest cities in Spain, is not only reflected in the climate. Thanks to the presence and eternal opposition of Sevilla and Real Betis, two traditional La Liga teams, the andalusian capital's passion for football, centred around the Estadio Pizjuan and Estadio Villamarin, spread to every corner of the city.
In order to get a real feel for the heat of football in Sevilla, French Football reported that the team recently went to a sports center called Poligorno in the south of the andalusian capital. According to the receptionist, it was one of the most "dangerous" places in all of Europe, and "even the police didn't dare to go in!" ”
"The Third Force"
Three years ago, Jaime Soto and a group of friends founded a football club in Seville called "Atlético Centro" with the goal of disgusting Sevilla and Betis, two recognized Andalusian flags. Relying on a bunch of players who don't know where to find, this team has actually been promoted to three levels in three consecutive years, and the original provocation and risk-taking are gradually approaching success.
Watching the young players of "Central Athletic" walk into the stadium, the bearded founder Soto proudly introduced: "We know very well who can play football well, although they have not been able to get opportunities at other clubs before. Soto revealed that the players of Central Athletic come from all walks of life, including architects, engineers, lawyers, bartenders, masons, and a young man who works in supermarkets...
"I promise them that they will enjoy the same working conditions as professional clubs and will always be able to maintain an 'amateur mentality'. There is no doubt that we are a happy, united collective. ”
At just 27 years old, Soto became president of the "third largest club in Sevilla". As a young man, he trained at the Real Betis Academy and hated modern football and the negatives it breeds. "Everyone at Central Athletics is trying to work in a different way. When the pandemic is over, we'll let a lot of families come to the stadium for a day and let them see our youth teams, reserve teams, women's soccer, and professional teams training and playing. ”
"There are also concerts and art exhibitions, or children playing games. We also aspire to create a tradition of 'third half' where we have dinner with our opponents after the game, just like in rugby. ”
Competing in the amateur league, Athletic Central, hopes to attract more and more young players, and Soto, as a musician, also wants to add art to the elements of the club, after all, Andalusia has produced many famous guitarists and singers. "A lot of the kids here are particularly gifted with football or the arts. For families who have been politically abandoned, Central Athletics has the confidence to earn their trust and gradually integrate their children into the club. ”
"We chose the black and white shirt because green (Betis) and red (Sevilla) were already occupied." Soto joked as he led us up to the high-rise stands, not far from Betis's Villamarin Stadium, with 60,000 seats, ranking 4th in Spanish football.
Green and white mania
Betis, with 55,000 season pass holders, is also one of the football clubs with the largest number of members in Spain, behind Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico. According to another survey, 40% of Seville residents claim to be Betis fans, while 35% support Sevilla. This also shows that 3/4 of the local population has a football tendency. The two clubs have more than 90,000 members, accounting for 13% of the city's residents.
After making a circle around the Villamarine Stadium, we stopped a taxi and went to Triana on the right bank of the Guadalquivir River. This historic neighborhood was once a gathering place for sailors and workers, as well as the cradle of legendary bullfighters such as Chicuello, Juan Belmont, Antonio Montes... In the early 1920th century, Gypsies settled in this part of Seville, and by the 1970s, they were expelled to the surrounding area.
A few steps from the Church of Santa Ana, many people watched Betis' La Liga match on a big screen on Monday night, and the bar owner, Parker Chika, glanced at the game and then hurried to prepare sandwiches for the guests with his wife. As a radius of radiation around the club, these areas, known as "Peña", are a gathering point for fans of all ages, whether in Seville or in other parts of Spain.
On each guest day, members gather here to watch the game through the TV hanging on the wall and drink a few beers. Of course, there will be a lot of people coming over for leisure on non-match days. Old fans usually sit in the corner, and they mostly come in the morning to drink coffee, read sports newspapers, and reminisce about yesterday's game. At this point, young fans are in a hurry to get out to work, have a simple breakfast here, and plan their next road trip with other like-minded people.
In addition, every time the Seville Derby approaches, people like to come here to taste the local specialties and prepare cheering slogans for the upcoming shopping.
As a child, Isidro Ramirez came here under the guidance of his father. Today, nearly 50 years old, he comes here with his wife and friends to watch the ball, holding a glass of sangria in his hand, and while looking at the picture on the TV, he says to us: "Our slogan is 'From father to son, from grandfather to grandson, we are all Betis people'. Sevilla is a big club but in the stands we were even better! They often celebrate winning titles, and a single victory can make us happy. We never gave up on our team, even when Betis was relegated to the third division (1947-1954). ”
Seven kilometres away, in the Defenders neighborhood of Seville, Cristóbal Bernard, David Sehoudo and Jesús Moreno have just finished live commentary on the race for a local radio station. "It was a Betis-esque match (2-1 away to Granada)! We saw two faces where the players were able to build an edge in front of the opposing goal, but they could easily lose control and retreat defensively, putting the team at risk. ”
All three commentators were Betis fans, and out of respect they all referred to team coach Pellegrini as "engineers" during the live broadcast. Sehudo said: "Every time Betis loses, we don't want to go to work the next day. If it's Derby, it's even worse, because we'll be ridiculed by our sworn enemies for at least half a year..."
In Spain, competition for radio broadcast matches is also fierce, with Cadena Ser, COPE and Onda Cero in addition to the three-man Onda Capital. Hearing the bell ringing at 12 midnight, Sehudo drove us back to the city centre, passing the Lakatuja Stadium, built for the 1999 World Championships in Athletics. The stadium, which currently has no club standing, hosts several matches at Euro 2020 and will be the venue for the Copa del Rey finals over the next two years.
Love unconditionally
Betis and Sevilla have a deep enmity, but a sudden incident in 2007 put the tension between the two clubs to a standstill for months.
On August 25 of that year, Sevilla played at home against Getafe, Spanish defender Puerta suddenly fell to the ground and died in hospital three days later, at the age of 22. Puerta entered the Sevilla academy with Sergio Ramos and Jesús Navas and has been playing for the club, winning the Europa League twice (2006, 2007). Puerta grew up in a house opposite the Relente District, a gathering place for Sevilla fans, and his grandfather was one of the founders of this fan district.
Since 2012, at the initiative of the members of the Seville Club and with the support of the municipality, a local street has been named after Puerta. On the walls of the fan gathering area, elements about Puerta can be seen everywhere: photos, portraits, poems, blessings... There is also a Sevilla shirt with his name on it.
In the first round of this season's Champions League group stage, Sevilla hosts Red Bull Salzburg, and the match is scheduled to start at 18:45, with fans pouring into Pisjuan early. "As Sevilla people, no matter which club we support, we participate in the 'Holy Week event' (before Easter), which is a tradition. Vanessa Torres and her best friend Lori Henis are both Sevilla fans, vanessa's mother also supports Sevilla, but her father is a die-hard Bettis.
For a taste of the pre-match atmosphere, Vanessa suggested we go to the other side of the Pizjuan Stadium, where there were always Betis die-hard fans yelling before the opening.
Avid fans wearing Sevilla scarves and red and white jerseys kept warming up the game with their songs. After parking the car, Victor Bella and his friends drank a few beers before walking into the stadium expectantly. In 2008, together they created the "unconditional" fan group, accompanying Sevilla to all corners of Europe, with the slogan "No Limits, No Conditions". "We drove 36 hours to Turin to watch the (2014) Europa League final."
The atmosphere of the game in Pisjuan makes it easy to recall the candy box stadium of Boca Youth. When the two teams entered the stadium to warm up, the stadium DJ played a famous song by the Australian band AD/DC, "Hell's Road". In the first half, 19-year-old Red Bull Salzburg forward Adejemi won three penalties, but the Austrian champions scored only one penalty amid the horrors of the home fans. Then, heavy rain blanketed the pitch, and Rakitic helped Sevilla equalize, scoring a point for a La Liga powerhouse that played one less person in 50 minutes.
Throughout the game, Sevilla fans sang "You Will Always Love Your Colors", cheering the home team, and the melody was very similar to the French national anthem "Marseille". In 1982, the stadium witnessed the epic World Cup semi-final between France and West Germany (a 3–3 draw in extra time and a penalty shootout victory for the Germans), and the melody was subsequently accepted by Sevilla fans and reinterpreted as a classic.
Spending an exciting, goosebump-filled football night in Pisjuan is truly an unforgettable feeling.
This article is written by Florent Tolsch
Compilation: To wave
This article was originally published in the 831st issue of Football Weekly
Released: 30.12.2021
Images are from the web