Sevilla - Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán - Capacity: 55,000 All Seater
The Stadium – Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán
The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán is still one of the most atmospheric stadiums in Spain. It was originally opened in 1957, replacing Seville’s original home, the Estadio Nervion that was located close by the current ground. At its peak the stadium held over 60,000 but today due to safety issues and the conversion to all seater it has been reduced to just over 50,000. It is a relative simple stadium – a two tiered bowl structure, with steep sides and only one stand covered. The stadium hosted the 1986 European Cup Final between Barcelona and Steaua Bucharest as well as hosting games in the 1982 World Cup finals including the infamous Semi-Final between West Germany and France. After the 1982 World Cup, the land that the club owned around the stadium was sold for development and today it is indeed a strange sight that it is quite hard to find the stadium as a whole shopping and residential complex has been built around it.
The stadium is also used frequently for the national team, and is deemed a lucky omen in that they have never lost here in over 20 games. Added to this is the remarkable record Sevilla have in European competition in that they have never lost an European tie at home – a fact that certainly ensured UEFA Cup success last season. Average attendances over recent seasons have been over 40,000 but success on the field this season has seen it rise to nearly 50,000.
Who Plays There? It is difficult to believe that after the last year of success that the club have experienced it is only a few years ago when both Seville clubs were regular fixtures in the Segunda division. Last season the team finally achieved a major honour – easily beating Middlesbrough in Eindhoven 4-0 to capture the UEFA Cup. They then added to this qualification for the UEFA Cup again with a 5th place finish (although they were only 2 points off 2nd place in the end) and victory in the UEFA Super Cup in Monaco over arch rivals Barcelona. The team have also kept that momentum going into the current season as they lead the way ahead of the big three going into the end of November, as well as still being in the UEFA Cup. One of the main reasons for this has been the goals of ex-West Ham and Spurs striker Freddie Kanoute who at the time of writing is the leading scorer in La Liga.
The club were formed two years before their rivals Betis in 1905, although it took a few years for them to get their hands on their first trophy, beating CE Sabadelll in the Spanish Cup Final in 1935. In the 1939 season, the first after the Civil War had ended Sevilla managed to record some amazing victories including an 11-1 defeat of Barcelona and a 10-3 victory over Valencia. This form almost delivered them the league but a draw in their final game against Hercules handed the title to Atleticó Aviacion. The following season saw the team second again before a third place finish in 1944. Two years later the club secured their only La Liga title to date, and followed it up a couple of seasons later with a third Copa Del Rey cup, beating Celta Vigo in the final.
That Copa del Rey was the last trophy the club won until the UEFA Cup in 2006. In the years in between the club went through a real barren period, trying without luck to buy the title by bringing some expensive imports that failed to raise the bar. These included Diego Maradona in 1992 as well as Illie Dumitrescu and Bebeto who failed to deliver anything apart from a UEFA Cup run in 1993. One success was Croatian Davor Suker who scored over 60 goals in less than 5 seasons with the club.
In 1993 in a bid to starve off bankruptcy the club sold the lease to the stadium and planned to move across town to the newly constructed Olympic Stadium. However, funds were found but the story was the same two years later when the lack of financial guarantees actually led to the club being automatically being relegated. However, the Spanish football federation made a dramatic decision that angered many other teams by expanding the league from 20 to 22 teams thus keeping Seville in the La Liga. Less than 12 months later, nothing could save them as they finished bottom of the newly expanded league – the only consolation was that Real Betis were relegated as well.
The next few seasons were spent bouncing between the leagues until they managed to build a team who could compete in the early part of this decade. The club have also secured some financial guarantees off the pitch that has allowed them to retain some of their young talent – the last of these players who had to be sold was Antonio Reyes to Arsenal in 2003.
So it is with renewed confidence that the club entered this season as UEFA and Super Cup holders, and they have put behind the disappointment of finishing outside the Champions League spots last season to build a team capable of challenging for the title this season.
How to get to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán The stadium is located to the east of the city centre, within a 5 minute walk from the Santa Justa railway station – the terminus for the AVE trains from Madrid, and forms part of the From the city centre buses C1, C2, 32 and 37 run from the city centre.
If the club switch a game to the Estadio La Cartuja in the north west of the city, then be prepared for a long 30-minute walk from the historic city centre. The renamed Olympic Stadium sits on the old Exp site north of the Ronda de Circunvalacion ring road, and whilst is an impressive stadium from the inside, suffers badly from being so isolated.
For a more detailed view on who plays where in Seville, go to Footiemap.com to access their excellent Football map site.
How to get a ticket for the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Despite Seville’s meteoric rise to fame over the past two seasons, tickets for most games (Betis, Real Madrid and Barcelona excepted) are easy to come by. The ticket office will start selling them from around 10 days before the match, with prices starting from €30 for a place in the Gol Sur or Norte to €90 for a covered seat in the Preferencia Banco de Pista. During May and September, temperatures in Seville can still hit the high 30’s and so it is worth investing more to get one of the limited tickets in the shade, rather than risk sunstroke.
For the big games, tickets are severely restricted but still available. For instance, for the Seville derby versus Betis, tickets were still on sale two days before the game – although prices tend to be inflated by around 40% for these fixtures. Last season Seville averaged just over 40,000 for their home fixtures.
If Seville, for any reason, switch their home games to the Olympic Stadium (more commonly known as the Estadio La Cartuja) then tickets are still sold via the ticket office at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. A couple of seasons ago, the club experimented by playing a couple of games here but crowds actually fell and so they are in no hurry to repeat the experiment.
Around the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán The stadium is located in the middle of a shopping centre, which makes it hard to see from the surrounding roads, but means that food and drink outlets are numerous around the stadium.
Real Betis Balompié - Manuel Ruiz de Lopera - Capacity : 55,500 All Seater
The Stadium – Manuel Ruiz de Lopera Avenida Heliópolis, 41012 Seville
The Manuel Ruiz de L’Opera stadium could be one of the greatest stadiums in Spain, and even in Europe if the megalomaniac Chairman who named the stadium after himself ever finds the funds to complete it. Originally named the Estadio Benito Villamarin, Betis have played on this ground since 1929. The stadium has always been mostly uncovered – the beautiful Seville weather ensures that rain is not very common here, but has never been as grand as it nearly is today. Originally built to house less than 30,000, the stadium was adequate for Real Betis’s uses until L’Opera took over the club in the 1990’s and began a crazy expansion plans that seems to characterise all of the building projects in the city. Within two years of taking over the club, the old north and east stands were gone to be replaced by a very smart and modern three tier stand that wrapped around the corner and held nearly 30,000. This gave the stadium an unbalanced look that survives today with the old open terrace of the south stand sitting oddly against the new stands and the covered main stand.
However, changes are on the horizon as it seems L’Opera’s fortunes may have turned as he recently announced that the south stand would be demolished in early 2007 and the rebuilt to join up with the north and east stands. If anyone has been to Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park stadium recently then imagine that with triple tier stands and you will get the picture of what the stadium will look like within 18 months. Views are unsurprisingly very good, although the back rows of the upper tier are along way from the action. Quite what the club hope to do with a 70,000-seater stadium when they only attract 38,000 for league games is beyond most reasonable thinking. Whilst the club are rebuilding the stadium they will play their games at the Olympic Stadium.
Who Plays There? Real Betis Balompié to give them their full name were formed in 1907 after a row amongst the players at Sevilla. They adopted their distinctive Green kit after one of their founders travelled to Glasgow to watch Celtic play in 1912. They gained their royal patronage (“Real”) from King Don Alfonso XIII in 1914. The clubs formative years were spent trying to establish themselves in the La Liga, although they did pip rivals Sevilla to the honour of being the first Andalucian club to play in the top league. They won their one and only La Liga title in 1935 and haven’t really got close to another one since.
The club has won the Copa del Rey on two occasions, in 1977 and again in 2005 when they beat Osasuna in Madrid. They have also been runners up on a number of occasions including in 1997 when they lost to a rampant Barcelona team. They finished in the Champions League places in 2005, qualifying for last season’s tournament. After overcoming Monaco in the final Qualifying rounds the club went into a group with Liverpool, Chelsea and Anderlecht. A home victory against Chelsea plus points on their travels in Belgium and Liverpool put them in a position to make the second stages, but a home defeat to Anderlecht saw them finish in third place.
Like their neighbours Sevilla, the 1990’s were a disastrous time for the club. After one of the worst transfer deals of all time, Betis found themselves paying £22million for Brazilian winger Denilson, who failed to do anything to show his value in the four seasons he was at the club. The team were then relegated a couple of times, and it was only in 2000 that they forced their way back into the top division. This season the club has been forced to look on enviously as Sevilla have enjoyed so much success whilst the team are in the midst of a relegation battle already. How to get to the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera Buses 2 and 34 run from the city centre down Avenida Heliópolis for the ground. The stadium is also walkable – but allow yourself around 30 minutes from the cathedral area of the city, or 15 minutes from Plaza de Espanga.
Whilst the stadium is being redeveloped, the team will play at the Olympic Stadium in the north of the city on the island of Cartuja. The stadium hosted the 2003 UEFA Cup final between Porto and Celtic and holds around 60,000. It is unclear at the moment was public transport will be laid on for fans travelling to the stadium.
For a more detailed view on who plays where in Seville, go to Footiemap.com to access their excellent Football map site.
How to get a ticket for the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera With an average attendance of around 38,000, few games bar the big three (Seville, Real Madrid and Barcelona) ever sell out – in fact last season on the derby match was a complete sell out. Tickets for most normal games go on sale 10 days before the match from the main ticket office. Tickets range in price from €40 for an upper tier Fondo (behind the goal seat) to €65 in the covered Preferencia. A good bet for the neutral is the middle tier behind the north goal (Fondu Baja Nord) that costs €45.
Around the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera The stadium sits on the southern outskirts of the city in a residential area. There are a number of small bars and cafes that open their doors on match days, but apart from that it is best to stick to the city centre for your refreshment needs.
Getting around The centre of Seville is very compact and the only real means of getting around is on foot. The only other means of transport in the city is the local bus network which will take you to the surrounding suburbs. To get a feel for the city itself, use one of the Tourorama buses that run from the Golden Tower every 15 minutes, and go north to the modern Expo site and La Magica theme park, and nouth to the 1929 Expo site at Plaza Espanya.
Seville’s smallish airport is located about 8 miles east of the city, and until recently had been the preserve of the national flag carriers. However, the expansion of the airport came after the city hosted the 2003 UEFA Cup final when over 50,000 Celtic fans descended on the city through a legion of private charter flights. The experience made many airlines think that this could be a destination with potential and so slowly but surely the airport began to appear on the Budget Airlines route map.
Today, Ryanair serves the airportfrom Liverpool and London Stansted, GB Airlines from London Gatwick, Clickair from London Heathrow and Iberiafrom London Heathrow.
The Stadium – Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán
Who Plays There?
The Stadium – Manuel Ruiz de Lopera
Who Plays There?