La Liga — a fan’s delight

It may not be as fabulously rich as the famous cousins Real Madrid FC or FC Barcelona but it is full of heart. This is the belief that Sevilla FC seeks to bring forth when it comes to its existence in Spain’s elite football league — La Liga.

This was exactly what a group of Indian fans of La Liga discovered as they gave a visit to Sevilla FC’s most celebrated fan club — the Peña Sevillista Al Relente — in the Calle Aznalcazar area of the Andalusian capital.

“We have one of the most melodious and emphatic anthems in the world,” says Guillermo Jimenez Ballester, the president of Pena Sevillista Al Relente. Fans are like the twelfth man who motivates the team to give out its best on the pitch.”

Guillermo was not wrong with his assertion as Sevilla FC accomplished the big upset, downing the formidable Real Madrid 3-2 at home at the magnificent Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. Guillermo is joined by Carlos Jimenez Sanchez, who is the president of federation of Sevilla fan club, in celebrating the exploits of the club they have been supporting since their childhood.

The fans had filled up every seat of the 42,000-capacity stadium and egged the team on with repeated rendition of the anthem.

“The first thing I would like to say is that football fans from all over the world should take a flight and visit Seville. By this they will have the chance to experience the atmosphere around the stadium, the roar of the crowd and all the excitement of what a match is like in Sanchez Pizjuan. I am sure that they will become a true supporter of the Seville Football Club,” says Nolito (Manuel Agudo Duran), the popular midfielder of Sevilla FC.

Encouraging sight

It was an encouraging sight as scores of fans having charged up on snacks and their favourite cerveza (beer) at the numerous Penas (fan associations) across the city made their way into the stadium. And just as the kick-off approached, the colourful gathering lent their voice to the chorus as the anthem rose from the stands and created an electrifying atmosphere around the venue.

Nolito was not wrong as the three Indian fan ambassadors and the winners of a La Liga contest — Conroy Concessio, Bibin Alexander Parippil and Akhil Kumar — discovered on their visit to Sevilla’s home stadium.

La Liga Santander, the official body of the Spanish league, has hosted fans from Poland and Belgium apart from India to be a part of the magnificent experience. It got even better as the visitors were given access to the ground and the mixed zone to have a great experience of how Spain cherishes its football.

There is always the urge to expand its League outside Spain but the money that La Liga is spending in giving a real feel experience of its football is truly giving good memories for the visitors to take back home.

(The writer was in Seville at the invitation of La Liga and Sports Cluster of Sony Pictures Networks)