hola mis amigos
So, how much do we know about Spanish football?
Den utländska ligan som följs mest av svenskarna är onekligen Englands Premier League. Men ligan som har haft mest succé i europacupperna är klubbar som kommer från Spanien. Alla känner till Barcelona och Real Madrid men man får inte glömma att Atletico Madrid har vunnit europaligan 2 gånger (2010 och 2012) och Sevilla har vunnit den 4 gånger sedan 2006. Lägg till att Spaniens landslag har vunnit VM och EM (2 gånger) sedan 2008. Man inte förneka att spansk fotboll är het just nu, men frågan är hur mycket vet vi om spansk fotboll.
Sedan jag har köpt en fastighet i Alicante har jag blivit bekant med optiken Fernando Moral Herrero som följer laget Elche. Han tackade jag till min förfrågan om att får en djupare insyn om spansk fotboll.
Hi and thanks for giving us an insight on Spanish football and especially your team Elche.
No problems at all.
First of all, what is your name and how long have you been following Elche?
Well I am 44 years old now and I have followed them all my life.
What other sports are popular in Spain?
I would say that basketball is the second most popular sport followed by tennis, cycling and motor sports.
What is the population of the city and what are the colours of the team?
Elche which is the Spanish spelling of the city (otherwise Elx which is the Valenciano dialect spelling) has a population of 240,000 and the team play in green and white.
Elche came up to La liga in 2013. Was this a surprise and have they played in Spain´s highest division before? If so, what is considered to be their best ever team (era) in the club´s history?
It wasn´t such a great surprise as the team missed out on promotion by just 1 goal the season before. In fact, during the 2012 / 13 season, the team led the 2nd division the whole season. Probably the teams of the 60s were the best ever as the club finished 5th one year and reached the Copa del Rey final in 1969. All in all, Elche have played 21 seasons in Spain´s highest league.
Have Elche had many players who have represented Spain or other national teams? Who are the legends of the club?
Elche have had some internationals. Probably in many fans eyes the most well-known is Juan Romero who played in the 60s. He was a Paraguayan international and is still the top goal scorer in the club´s history. Although I remember that Marcelo Trobbiani, who came on as a substitute in the 1986 World Cup final for Argentina, was an Elche player at that time. Apparently he touched the ball once and it was a back heel ha ha.
Elche is maybe not such a well-known city as Alicante for many people, do Alicante have a strong team and are they your biggest rivals?
Hercules is the name of the team in Alicante and yes, they are our biggest rivals. Although just now they are in the 3rd division.
What is the price of a ticket / season ticket for a home game(s) of Elche?
A season ticket for the season 2014/15 was between 190 – 250 euro; depending on where you sat. However, these matches did NOT include the games against Real Madrid, Barcelona and either Valencia or Atletico Madrid (depending on which team is having the most successful season).
What is the average crowd for home games?
The stadium which was built for the 1982 World Cup has a capacity of 39,000. The average gate last year was approx. 25,000.
Do many fans in Spain follow their team to away games?
No, this is not a tradition in Spain (maybe due to the distances); however, last year 3,000 Elche fans went to the capital city to see the Real Madrid game.
In Portugal, many fans follow their team but also follow one of the big two clubs i.e. Benfica or Porto as well. Is this the same in Spain? Do fans follow Elche as well as either Real Madrid or Barcelona?
I am sorry to say this is true. Most Spanish people sympathise with one of the top 2. This causes a problem when they play against the local team their support. Despite being a season ticket holder for their local team, I am sure some want them to lose when they meet one of the big 2. This is something I personally do not like.
Which team do you prefer? Barca or Real……………….and any reason why?
If I had to choose, I would choose Real; although to be honest I do not lose any sleep if they lose!
Money is dominating football now. Many football fans around Europe are becoming tired of this as the leagues can only be won by a few, extremely rich clubs. What would you say is the opinion of Spanish football fans?
I agree and I think it is boring. However, the majority of Spanish fans seem to accept it.
Spain has struggled in the financial crisis and many Spanish people have lost their jobs etc. and yet the big two i.e. Real and Barcelona have bought players for incredible amounts of money. Has this been a big issue in Spain?
No, again Spanish people seem to accept it; as the saying goes: “Football is the opium for the people”.
Quite ironically, at the same time as Spain´s tough economic crisis, the national team was the best team in the world. Did this help people to forget their problems during difficult times?
It definitely did and of course some politicians tried to take advantage of it.
Spain is known for its strong regions e.g. Catalonia, the Basque country etc. Do the people of these areas support the national team and did they celebrate Spain´s successes in 2008, 2010 and 2012 like the rest of the country?
I am sure many celebrated as I am sure some didn´t. Personally, I think there are bigger differences between the Basque area and the rest of Spain than the Catalonia area and Spain. Some players from these areas have stated that they have no wish to represent Spain; although in all fairness it is highly unlikely they were good enough to.
Do you and other Spanish football fans like the English Premier League, what do think the major differences are?
Yes, the PL is popular in Spain, possibly due to so many Spanish players there. I think the game is played quicker in the PL and more organised and I really like that the fans stick with the team even when things are not going well.
Do you have a favourite English team?
Not really, possibly Liverpool as they have had several Spanish players and Rafael Benitez was the trainer for some years. I think he helped many Spanish players settle and adapt to the English game and way of life. Strangely enough my earliest memory of English football was of Ossie Ardiles playing for Tottenham in the early 80s.
Back to Elche, despite the team doing so well last season they are back playing in the second division this year. Why is this?
It is due to unpaid tax. As a punishment we were regulated back to the 2nd division. It is such a shame as I felt the team had a chance of qualifying for Europe this year. Of course, many players have left and it does feel like starting over again.
Thanks for your time and we well keep our fingers crossed that Elche sort out their problems and get back up with the big boys. Finally, one last question: what do you know about Sweden?
Well of course we all know about Zlatan. Apart from that I would say IKEA, the beautiful nature and all the Swedish customers that buy glasses from me ha ha.
Thanks a lot Fernando and let´s hope Elche make it back up to the top division ASAP.
