Before the 1998 Cup Final in Valencia against Barcelona, then Real Mallorca president (the recently passed-away Dr Bartolome Beltran) cheekily asked the captain of the visiting USS Nimitz if his nuclear-powered aircraft carrier wouldn’t mind transporting 15,000 fans over to Valencia. Needless to say the captain gave the good doctor short shrift, telling him to go forth and multiply!
Fast forward 26 years and an aircraft carrier would be handy again to ferry a new generation of fans, who are trying every which way but loose to get tickets, transport and accommodation for the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao in Seville on April 6. It’s to be played in a mausoleum called La Cartuja on the outskirts of Spain’s fourth biggest city. The logistics in taking 20,000 Mallorca fans over to Andalucia is causing severe headaches for our travelling support.
Finding a direct scheduled flight to Sevilla is nigh on impossible with any company, even if you’ve got very deep pockets and know the owner of the airline ! After Mallorca qualified for the final, the joy was immense and a few fans moved quickly to snap up flights and accommodation. They were the lucky few.
As this column has a Thursday morning deadline, it’s been very difficult to keep up with this ever-changing scenario. On Thursday in the so-called Spanish City of Football, Las Rozas in Madrid, a meeting was scheduled between the football federation and the two finalists in order to determine the ticket allocations and, on the toss of a coin, whose fans would be where and which team would play in their normal first team colours as the “home” team. The Copa del Rey final is one of the most prestigious sporting events on the Spanish sporting calendar and this final is a game between two sides few pundits predicted.
Local fans have encountered huge transport and accommodation problems because the final falls between Easter and the massive April Fair. The fact that the game is being held in Seville’s high season beggars belief and in an athletic stadium with a running track around the pitch, where the lowest priced seats have a severely restricted view.
The other day on a football version of TripAdvisor, I read the following “La Cartuja is about 4km from Seville’s city centre. There is no public transport, no bars or restaurants nearby, and the access to the motorway after the game is two slip roads. It’s a bloody dreadful place and should NEVER have been chosen for a major event. However, the last two cup finals have been held there with lots of fans saying they were miles away from the pitch.”
Although travel prices are in the “silly money” bracket, it seems many Mallorquinistas haven’t been deterred and are trying every possible way of getting to the final. With a month to go, there’s no doubt more planes will be chartered and there’ll be more boats than the retreat from Dunkirk in 1940 ! The sea journey from Palma to Valencia is some seven hours long, followed by another seven hours by coach to Seville.
Many fans are exploring all kinds of formulas to take advantage of flights to Malaga, Granada, Jerez, and even south Portugal, some have booked seats from Madrid on the AVE high-speed train but this option now appears to be fully booked by both sets of supporters.
Those not lucky enough to have booked early must remember their residents’ discounts don’t apply for charter flights. I’ve had people asking me about match tickets, which have not been included with any trips on offer so far. They will need to consult the club’s website on www.realmallorca.es, after details have been agreed at Thursday’s meeting in Madrid. Season ticket holders are likely to be given priority, with security checks on names. Bilbao fans are allegedly keen to take any of Mallorca’s unsold tickets.
BARCELONA TONIGHT. Real Mallorca are on cloud nine after a highly impressive week when they not only reached the Cup final but also on Sunday beat high-flying Girona (“The Pearl of the Costa Brava”) 1-0. Tonight at 9pm they’ll play a struggling injury-hit Barcelona in their makeshift Estadi Lluis Company (where the 1992 Olympic Games were held).
Barcelona, by their high standards, have had a poor season with a shaky defence, a thinned midfield and a lacklustre attack. Several of their star players are out with long-term injuries and coach Xavi Hernandez is suspended. there´s never been a better time to beat the Blaugrana than tonight. We drew 2-2 with them in Palma back in September.
AND FINALLY, Ex Dire Straits frontman and lead guitarist Mark Knopfler had a relative who sadly passed away on Tuesday. In his will, the relative left Mark a couple of things : a highly valuable impressionist painting and a poultry farm – I guess it was a case of Monet for nothing and the chicks for free !