I was asked by Steve at the Grapevine if I would be interested in joining him and three of his friends in buying a season ticket for Malaga CF (Club de Futbol). At 290 €, the ticket seemed like a bargain for a season of sitting in the sun watching the likes of Zidane, Beckham and Ronaldo.
After purchasing our ticket, the security staff allowed us to see our seats. After probably an hour’s climb, we found them. Mine was next to Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing. Joking aside, although high, we have an unspoilt view of the pitch.
The stadium, La Roseleda was built for the 1982 World Cup, so is a fairly modern stadium with a capacity of around 24,000. Currently one quarter of the ground is being redeveloped. The new section of the stadium was going to be opened for the clash with Real Madrid, but is still a long way from being finished. Of the 24,000 seats, 22,500 are filled by season ticket holders, leaving a handful of tickets for away fans and home supporters.
One surprising thing about attending the matches is the amount of British voices you hear in the stadium. It has been estimated that there are 3,000 British season ticket holders, but that sounds a little low to me.
After the first few games we came to know the players and instantly took a dislike to Chengue Morales. A real enigma of a player – a huge forward from Uruguay who never wins anything in the air, and has not scored or even looked like scoring a goal all season. If you have not seen him play, think Emile Heskey crossed with Frank Spencer.
So, with just a few home games left does 290 € still seem like a bargain? Yes, without a doubt.
At the time of writing, Malaga are rooted to the bottom of the table. A change of manager has not seen a change of fortunes. That said we have seen some good football and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of the ground, so on balance yes. I will confess that if Malaga are relegated, I will not be renewing my ticket, as playing the likes of Alicante does not hold the same allure as playing Barcelona.
We had a bit of a surprise when we arrived for the Real Madrid game; there were extra TV cameras at the ground including one in our row of seats, meaning one of us had to sit on the steps, along with some other displaced fans. A steward told everybody to move, but was soon shouted down by some very angry fans, annoyed at losing their seat and no alternative arrangements being made. The steward, knowing he was beaten, sheepishly walked back down the steps.
Another ‘low’ was that David Beckham did not play against Malaga, as he was sent if in the previous match. Malaga put in good display though and could easily have beaten Real Madrid despite going down 2 – 0.
The high point if the season for me was the 5 – 0 drubbing of Real Betis. There was a real party atmosphere, with Mexican waves and everybody singing (everybody except the five of us, as we struggle to understand the songs!)
Watching Spanish football first-hand shows how many free-kicks are giving for totally innocuous challenges and the amount of diving and gamesmanship that is blighting the modern game.
So onto the big one; a home match against the league leaders, the mighty Barcelona
