Levante v Athletico Madrid, 19th November 2006

Ever fancied taking in a foreign game? I did, especially when a mate rang and said He was going to Valencia to watch Levante vs. Athletico Madrid, flights were cheap, and accommodation was cheap too. It started with a train journey to Stanstead, quick flight to Valencia few pints and bed.

Next morning, woke early, as I wanted to see the famed Mestella. took a walk, partly along an old riverbed, where they had dammed the river to stop flooding and between the bridges It was a nice day so they had set out lots of football pitches for the Valencian Sunday League to play on, imagine the middle of York without water and you have the idea. Without putting to fine a point on it, the exterior of the Mestella is awful, from TV pictures it looks really good but close up looks like a Glasgow tenement and needs pulling down before it falls down.

Deeply disappointed we started out on our walk to the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia, home of Levante. Yet again another pit if I am honest, all around the ground it is run down and really needs work so, it appeared to even have bullet holes in the stadium walls.

We purchased our tickets, about £20 and then went to a local café for a coffee, several dozen Madrid fans were already there and enjoying themselves chanting and playing their drums etc.
We had already bought some merchandise, seat cover and a Levante hat so we felt no need to rush to the Stadium.

About 10 minutes before Kick off we made our move, as we left the café there was a bit of a commotion among some Madrid fans but we paid it no heed and then, CRACK! I heard a loud noise and one of my friends just started running as fast as he could and was holding his head, at first I started to run too but then realized I didn’t know where to run to so, I stopped and as I looked around I saw an Athletico fan placing a baseball bat down his trousers to hide it. Worried by this time I caught up with my friend as I expected him to be in a bad way having been hit by this bat. Thankfully he’s ok, a little shaken but OK, another friend who came out behind saw it all and it was shocking that this could happen so randomly.

Once we got our composure we went inside although the game was second on our minds.
This ground was also crumbling with little or no facilities, segregation was also a worry, chicken wire fences.

The game itself was a none event, highly Rated Torres went own easily in the box, for a penalty, one nil, converting it himself. In the second half Levante were reduced to ten men for a professional foul and then it was game over really, as a spectacle, Maniche scored a brace and that was it.

Another sickening spectacle was also from the Athletico fans, around two hundred of their most vocal fans at one point started chanting “Zeig Heil” while doing Nazi salutes and then monkey noises at Levante’s black players. It seemed even more bizarre when they loudly singled out their own Columbian player for special applause after the game, that’s idiots for you I suppose.
It made me realize how far our country has gone and developed, scenes like that for me were probably last witnessed at Elland road in the mid eighties, we have one or two idiots but this seems tolerated here and it can’t be a good thing.

Don’t be put off Valencia by this though, it’s a beautiful place with friendly people, pity they can’t say the same about their Basque visitors.

Anthony Dent