Emotions, festivities, riots: The history of the Andalusian derby

Seville is one of the most attractive Spanish cities. Located in the southwest of the country, it is the cultural and tourist center of Andalusia, a place inhabited by various civilizations for centuries and leaving behind magnificent architectural buildings.

The Guadalquivir River flows through the city and divides it into two parts. But nothing divides the capital of Andalusia like football - on one side we have the popular "Rohiblancos", who cheer for Seville, on the other, the "Verdiblancos" whose heart beats for Betis. These two teams clash with each other, tonight at 22 p.m. they raise the curtain in La Liga after a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic. There are still 11 matches left in the season - enough for Sevilla to try to secure a place in the Champions League and Betis to stay in the safe zone, as the place leading to Europe is a long way off and survival should not be in doubt. However, it remains a pity that due to the current health situation, there will be no fans at "Ramon Sánchez Pichuan".

The Seville derby is always more than a game and a reminder that football in Spain is not just about Barcelona and Real Madrid. Full of emotions, passion, festivities, often riots both inside and outside the stadium, El Gran Derbi is - like the Alcázar Palace or the famous cathedral - a symbol of the city.

Sevilla is an older club. It was founded by the British and the Spanish in 1890, and the first president was the Scotsman Edward Johnson, the deputy British consul in Seville and the owner of a shipping company that sailed between Spain and Great Britain.

Since its foundation, the club has been a representative of the aristocracy. Because of this, in 1907 the board of directors refused to add two miners to the playing staff, so the two directors angrily left and founded a new club that would represent the working class. That's how Betis was born. Seven years later he will team up with local team Sevilla Balompie. King Alfonso XIII approved the use of the royal prefix and the club we know today as - Real Betis Balompie was born.

Years passed, class differences disappeared, and rivalry gained weight.

DOUBTS ABOUT THE FIRST MATCH

The first meeting between each other took place more than a hundred years ago, although there is disagreement among fans about the date. Some believe that the premiere was in October 1914 and that Sevilla won 3:0. Others claim that it was in January 1915. There is also a third current that states that the first match was played on February 1915, 4. In that match, Sevilla led 3:XNUMX, and the match was interrupted because the crowd rushed onto the field. Which version is correct, it seems, we will never know.

What is known is that both teams won the title once. Betis fans can boast that their team was the first to reach the trophy. It was in 1935 under the command of Patrick O'Connell. The Irishman is a significant figure, not only in the history of the Andalusian club, but of Spanish football in general, and his bust is located near the "Benito Villamarin" stadium.

Betis won the championship on the eve of the Spanish Civil War. A painful period for the club followed - in addition to the war, the bad financial situation also left consequences, and some players left fleeing from Franco's regime, so five years later the "verdiblancos" were relegated to the second, then third league. Those were the years of the "green march", when fans followed their beloved team on visits across the country, and the stands at the home stadium were filled to capacity. During that time, Sevilla won the only championship title - in 1946.

DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO MAKE YOUR RIVAL'S LIFE HARD

The clubs tried to make each other's lives miserable. In the 1977/1978 season, the "green and white" - along with Elće and Cadiz - were relegated from the league. They then accused the city rival of deliberately losing games to Betis' rivals in the fight for survival at the end of the season.

The rivalry reached a boiling point when Betis president Manuel Luis de Lopera offered second division side Albacete money in 1999 to prevent Sevilla from entering La Liga. Sevilla, however, entered the elite, but was relegated the following season. And she did her best to drag Betis along. In the last match, they lost to Ovied, which, thanks to that triumph, overcame the "green and white" and pushed them into the abyss.

TWO PRESIDENTS - TWO CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES

Manuel Luiz de Lopera became the head of Betis in 1992. A few years later, he broke the world record and brought the Brazilian Denilson to Andalucia. He even named the stadium after himself, but that injustice was later corrected by the fans.

The only trophy won in his era was the King's Cup in 2005. That year, they also won a historic placement in the Champions League, where they finished the competition in third place in the group.

And while Betis can be content with participating in the Champions League, European trophies have been won at the other end of the city in recent history. In the era of Juande Ramos, Sevilla won the UEFA Cup twice, later the competition was renamed the Europa League, and the Andalusian team won three titles under the command of Unai Emery (2014, 2015 and 2016). The president of the club until 2013 was José María del Nido, who is serving time in prison for corruption. He considered himself, after the Pope, the most important person in Seville.

One remembers the incident at the Betis stadium, when the first man of Sevilla refused to sit next to De Lopera. Then there was a general commotion and a fight in which members of the management board of both clubs took part.

DISORDER - UNAVOIDABLE DECOR

Unavoidable decor of this derby is riots. Brawls on the field and riots outside the stadium are a common image coming from Andalusia. Rockets flew over the stands, and in February 2007, in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, Sevilla coach Juande Ramos was hit in the head with a bottle. He passed out, and when the medical team arrived, a fight started on the field, which continued throughout the city.

It is certain that there will be no incidents in the stands tonight. On the other hand, the spectacle is guaranteed. El Gran Derbi – more than football.

Tragedy united them

One sad event united the city of Seville.

At the end of August 2007, during a match against Getafe, Sevilla player Antonio Puerta fainted. Teammates and medical staff immediately ran over and helped him. Puerta regained consciousness, left the field to applause and went to the hospital. He died three days later…

His death shook the football world. Betis players and president De Lopera were also present at the last farewell.

- We are brothers. Puerta sent us a message of unity from heaven - said the Betis boss at the time.

After that event, he reconciled with the president of Seville, Del Nido.