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Hello! Seville is famous for its oranges but they’re sucking on lemons there now. And they’re very, very angry.
On the way:
Attacks, death chants: Fans in balaclavas wait for Sevilla at training ground after loss
Alvaro Garcia Pascual celebrates his winner against Las Palmas (DAX Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The current of anger flowing through football is not exactly new. Sometimes it just feels like it might be getting worse, as if levels of calm recede by the year. Has the sport always been so short-fused?
A degree of anger around Sevilla is justified, though — and my word, they’re seeing it. They’re a meaty Spanish club who, since 2006, have won the Europa League and its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, seven times and the Copa del Rey twice. On Tuesday, though, their big achievement was to crawl clear of relegation to the second division.
The 1-0 win over Las Palmas which kept the wolf from the door (for the time being, because Sevilla aren’t out of the woods long term) was their first at home for six months; not just in La Liga but on any front. They’ve chewed through 13 coaches from 2016 onwards, the year Unai Emery — now managing Aston Villa and the mastermind of three of their Europa League triumphs — left for Paris Saint-Germain. So yes, the natives are livid.
But at the weekend, the recriminations got out of hand. Sevilla’s squad returned to their training ground after a 3-2 away defeat at Celta Vigo to find a mob of around 400 supporters waiting for them, some wearing balaclavas. They were greeted by chants of “Death to Junior” — a reference to the club’s president, Jose Maria del Nido Jr — and when they sought refuge indoors, fans invaded the facility.
Sevilla, who condemned a “vandalistic attack”, say their players were never at risk of harm, but local police stepped in to restore order and the squad slept in dormitories at the training ground overnight. Dermot Corrigan and Guillermo Rai have the astonishing full story. One source told them the players were in “fear and terror”.
So how did it come to this — from serial trophy winners to being at the mercy of their own crowd’s rage?
Family feud
Money, would you believe, is at the root of the timeline. Those years of European success haven’t created a wealthy club. Sevilla lost close to £70million ($93m) in 2023-24, leading La Liga to impose a salary limit — the amount they can pay their squad en masse over a season — of £2.1m. It’s a feeble war chest.
With those limitations on his back, sporting director Victor Orta, who worked at Sevilla under Monchi in the good times and went back there after his reign as director of football at Leeds United went off the edge of a cliff, has had to punt on young or untested signings. Sevilla aren’t equipped to mix it domestically. Combine that with boardroom conflict and it’s a recipe for regression and unrest.
Del Nido Jr has been president since 2023. His father, Jose Maria del Nido Senior, was in office between 2002 and 2013, but stood down after being sent to prison for financial offences. He’s now trying to wrestle control of the club away from his son. The discord between them is transparent in this interview with Del Nido Jr.
Before Tuesday, Sevilla came close to drowning in the politics. They might still sink, hence why the fans want a deep-clean at the top. It’s far from clear if that can be achieved. As stasis persists, the best Sevilla could do this past week was cling on; a European force badly diminished, but still possessing an ounce of fight.
News round-up
- Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid from Bournemouth is just about all-systems-go. Madrid have activated his release clause and are in talks to finalise a £50m ($64.8m) transfer. Expect it to happen.
- Madrid defender Raul Asencio could face criminal proceedings for allegedly sharing a sex tape involving a minor. An investigation into him and three other men has concluded, and we await further developments.
- He has been linked to Manchester City and Bayern Munich but, out of the blue, Liverpool have expressed an interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. The scramble for his signature could get interesting. There’s progress with another Leverkusen man, Jeremie Frimpong, too. It sounds like Liverpool will land the right-back.
- Pep Lijnders, who was assistant to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, is speaking to Championship club Norwich City about becoming their new head coach.
- Given the way their season has gone, it’s almost fitting that Tottenham Hotspur have suffered one last injury blow. Dejan Kulusevski is out of next week’s Europa League final after knee surgery. It’s a major setback for Ange Postecoglou.
- Erik ten Hag is one of the names on Leverkusen’s shortlist to replace departing head coach Xabi Alonso. It would be Ten Hag’s first job since last October’s sacking by Manchester United.
- No surprise, but this should set the transfer hares running: Canada international Jonathan David has announced that he’s leaving Lille when his contract runs out next month. A biggish move must be in the offing for the 25-year-old striker.
- Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit and the husband of tennis star Serena Williams, has purchased an eight per cent stake in Chelsea Women. The investment by the tech millionaire puts a valuation of £245m on the team.
Around the grounds: Madrid win to delay Barca’s party, Bologna snap 51-year trophy drought
For an hour last night, Barcelona were ready to claim La Liga’s 2024-25 title without lifting another finger.
Madrid — depleted beyond belief — trailed visitors Mallorca at the Bernabeu, until Kylian Mbappe and Jacobo Ramon (in the 95th minute) turned the game around and kept Barca honest. A win for Hansi Flick’s side at neighbours Espanyol this evening will get the job done, though.
Barcelona are used to the feel of major silverware. Bologna, on the other hand, hadn’t had the pleasure since 1974 — but they broke their 51-year barren streak in the Coppa Italia final yesterday, beating Milan 1-0 in Rome.
Christian Pulisic cut a subdued figure for Milan, and Manchester City target Tijjani Reijnders didn’t live up to TAFC’s billing of him. Dan Ndoye’s sharp second-half finish (above) proved to be the difference, and the trophy is due reward for several years of impressive progress by Bologna. They still have an outside shot at a Champions League place for the second season running, too.
Over in the United States, meanwhile, I can’t get that quote from LA Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy out of my head: “When it rains, it f***ing pours, man.” Doesn’t it just. From 2-0 up, the MLS champions lost again, to Philadelphia Union in the 96th minute, with Tai Baribo scoring the winner (below), for yet another miserable rinsing.
That’s a 13-game winless streak now and it can’t be long before heads start to roll. Inter Miami aren’t cruising either — a 3-3 draw at San Jose Earthquakes dropped them to fifth in the Eastern Conference — and a frustrated Lionel Messi almost talked his way to a red card. Still, a glance at the Galaxy and counterpart Greg Vanney will remind coach Javier Mascherano that pressure is relative.
Young Ron: Cristiano Jnr makes U15s debut for Portugal
(Damir Sencar/AFP via Getty Images)
On the subject of whether Cristiano Ronaldo’s footballer son — Cristiano Ronaldo Junior — is any good, we’ve all been guessing. So to make things more scientific, The Athletic sent Tim Spiers to a remote field in Croatia to actually watch the second-coming in the flesh.
The 14-year-old (Ronaldo Jr, not Tim) was playing for Portugal Under-15s after his first international call-up. I’ll say this: he might be listed as Cristiano dos Santos, his middle names, on the team sheet, but he’s not trying to suppress his profile. He wears number seven on his back and CR7 Nike Mercurial boots on his feet. He’s an inverted left forward, so a replica of his old man, who didn’t show up to see him in action.
Junior also had local kids clamouring to film him on their phones before his first game against Japan kicked off. If nothing else, it’s preparing him for the big time, if he gets there. But will he get there? Here is Tim’s verdict, based on the lad’s 38 minutes as a substitute.
Around TAFC
Catch a match
(Selected games, times ET/UK)
La Liga: Osasuna vs Atletico Madrid, 1pm/6pm — ESPN, Fubo/Premier Sports; Espanyol vs Barcelona, 3.30pm/8.30pm — ESPN, Fubo/Premier Sports, ITV4.
And finally…
Individual players must have quotas of luck to use each season. Here is St. Louis City’s Cedric Teuchert, fully spent up with one touch against Sporting Kansas City last night — a deflection so wicked, I’d rather pretend it was deliberate. As, no doubt, would Cedric.
(Top photo: Visionhaus/Getty Images)