The situation
The Copa del Rey returns and the most modest clubs face the tournament with the same enthusiasm as a child on Three Kings night. A duel between teams with millionaire budgets and superstars against others made up of bakers and butchers. Some aspire to reach the long-awaited final on May 6 in La Cartuja and others dream of becoming giant killers. Ahead, seven rounds with 115 participants. The Super Cup teams (Real Madrid, Betis, Barcelona and Valencia) and Racing, champion of the First RFEF, are exempt from playing in the first rounds. Given these absences, the Copa del Rey starts with Atlético, Sevilla and Real Sociedad as the great Goliaths of the competition. A tournament where rojiblancos and sevillistas seek to redeem themselves from their European and league dislikes. Yes, without getting confused. Their rivals will be the most modest possible, teams from towns that play in the sixth category of Spanish football, but let no one doubt it, they are very fighting. “How many nights of Reyes Mayo have we dreamed of magic and the next day you woke up with a gift? Dreaming is free and tonight for me is like Kings. Two years ago it seemed unthinkable to me to be living this, but with effort everything is achieved”, affirms Iván Fernández, president of the Cazalegas-Ébora Formation, a rival of Real Sociedad, and who barely has two years to live. The confrontation with a First Division is also a great economic incentive for these teams. It means filling the stadiums and achieving large income from aid from the RFEF and sponsorships . So much so that Almazán , Atlético’s rival , has been robbed twice from the stadium in search of box office receipts .
The details
The situation has been so bizarre that the club’s leaders have been escorted by the police every day they went to the bank to deposit the money obtained from ticket sales. Although for others, the money raised is not everything. “What we are experiencing is above the economic. It is not the salvation of the club, but it helps you. Our budget is between 150,000 and 200,000 euros”, points out Iván Fernández. Carlos Cruz, coach of Velarde, Sevilla’s rival, expresses himself along the same lines. “It is a historic appointment. There is a huge difference between both teams, but we are very motivated… and nervous. It is the illusion of a people. And this Cup format is an economic and sporting bonus for amateur football”, explains the manager of this legendary club from Muriedas (Cantabria). Velarde will host Sampaoli’s team at their stadium, La Maruca: “It’s ideal for them, perfect dimensions, natural grass, although we have an athletics track.” The club will place extra stands that will increase the capacity of the stadium to 4,000 spectators. In the funds will be children from nearby schools. Everything to experience a great amateur football party.But not everyone is in the conditions of Velarde, to be able to play at home. There are others that are so modest that their fields do not meet the minimum conditions required by the RFEF and they will have to migrate to other nearby fields. This is the case of Almazán, who will play at Los Pajaritos, or CD Rincón, who will play at La Rosaleda. They aspire to become true giant killers because the players on these teams are not professionals, rather they play for fun and passion. “The vast majority cannot live on this. We have everything: Ferrer is a baker; Rubén, our captain who has come to play for Betis, is a delivery man; Borja, our killer , works in a slaughterhouse; Alfred, the top scorer, works with his father in construction; Alonso, one of the great signings, works as a teacher in our institute…”, says the president of Cazalegas.