Sevilla FC

This article is about the Spanish Football Club. For the Puerto Rican football club, see Sevilla FC (Puerto Rico). For the club's reserve team, see Sevilla Atlético. For the club's women team, see Sevilla FC (women).

Sevilla

Full name	Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Sevillistas Los Rojiblancos (Red-Whites) Los nervionenses Los palanganas
Founded	October 14, 1905 (October 14, 1905)
Ground	Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Andalusia, Spain (Capacity: 45,500)
Chairman	José María del Nido
Manager	Míchel González
League	La Liga
2010–11	La Liga, 5th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Sevilla Football Club is a Spanish football team organized as a Sporting Limited Association, according to the Spanish law known as “LSAD”. It has its headquarters in Seville, the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is currently one of the teams that play in the First Division. Its articles of association were approved on October 14, 1905, being its first president the Jerez-born José Luis Gallegos Arnosa.

The Stadium "Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán", property of the club, is the scenario that uses the team to play their local official games. It is located in the neighborhood of Nervión and owes its name to who was its President for 17 years. It has a capacity for 45,500 spectators.

The team has in its Honours numerous trophies and qualifications that make it the Andalusian team with most regional, national and international titles. It has been champion of the Spanish League one season, won five Spain Cups (one Republic Cup, two Generalisimo Cups and two King’s Cups), two UEFA Cups, a Spain Super Cup and a UEFA Super Cup. The most prestigious honours were obtained in the first decade of the 21st century. It has been campaigning 67 seasons in the First Division and 13 in Second. The Club is located in the seventh position of the historical classification of the Spanish Football League. They were designated by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics as the best club in the World in 2006 and 2007, having been up to the current date (2012) the only team that has achieved this distinction two years consecutively. A historic long-standing rivalry is maintained with the other team of the city, Real Betis Balompie, against whom the club contests in the well-known and intensified Seville derby.

The entity has contributed several players to the Spain national football team throughout their history, from Spencer in 1922 until Jesus Navas, who was part of the team that in 2010 was proclaimed Champion of the World. Sevilla F.C. has also provided players to other national teams. It also has various teams at lower levels, such as the Sevilla Atlético, founded in 1958, that currently plays in the Second Division B, having reached Second Division previously. In 2005 the Centennial of its foundation was celebrated with great amount of social and sporting events, having been, for this occasion, its hymn one of the most popular, the flag that was designed for the anniversary or the special main entrance (gate of access) to the “Feria de Abril” of the above mentioned year, as well as being awarded with the Medal of Andalusia.

History

The First Steps of Football in Seville.

The practice of football was introduced in Seville at the end of the 19th century by the large British colony in the city, composed by owners or managers of manufacturing companies based there. It is documented that a match between a team from Seville with Huelva Recreation Club (current Recreativo de Huelva) was held. The roots of football in the city grew and various teams were founded. The oldest of those created in that period that still exists is Sevilla Football Club, founded in 1905 as a 'Society of Football'.

First Steps.

The articles of association of the Sevilla Football Club were approved by the civil governor of Seville on October 14, 1905, as a culmination of a process that took place after some meetings and assemblies that were held. The first club board of directors was composed by José Luis Gallegos, President; Manuel Jiménez de León, Secretary and Treasurer; Juan Mejías, Samuel Hammick, Manuel Zapata Castañeda and Charles Langdon, as members. The office of the club was settled in the home of the secretary-treasurer at Teodosio St, 14. Shortly after signing the articles of association the Board of Directors met in the "Pasaje de Oriente" (a popular restaurant at the time) at a dinner in which José Luis Gallegos pronounced a speech containing the phrase that eventually became emblematic of Sevilla FC:

"All men of any social status, religious or political ideas will here be accommodated" José Luis Gallegos, speech after the founding of the club, 1905

The second team to be founded in Seville of which there is evidence dates back to 1909, when its articles of association were approved, although it had already been working as a football club since 1907. It was called Sevilla Balompié. It was formed mainly by sons of military personnel living in Seville, students of the Polytechnical School. On the other hand, Sevilla Balompié suffered that same year a split. As a result, another team was founded and was named Betis Football Club. In 1914, the liberal politician Pedro de la Borbolla y Serrano, delegate of the district of Cazalla de la Sierra, obtained the title of Real (Royal) for Betis. That same year, Sevilla Balompié and the new Real Betis joined permanently, known today as Real Betis Balompié, and being the long-established and therefore the biggest rival in the city.

During its first years of existence many charity matches against teams of British sailors anchored in the port of Seville were played. Sevilla FC did not have a fixed place to play. Thus, it played, for example, at Tablada Racecourse. On January 30, 1909 it played a charity match against Recreativo de Huelva. In 1910 the Andalusian teams of the time began to play more or less official tournaments. To a semiofficial Andalusian Cup, a Town Hall of Seville Cup was joined.

In 1912, a commission of the most important Andalusian clubs (Recreativo de Huelva, Sevilla Balompié, Betis Foot-ball Club and Sevilla FC) held their first meeting in order to establish an association of clubs. Despite the intentions, it took place without success. The process was not completed and fulfilled until the establishment in 1915 of the Southern Federation, covering Andalusia, Extremadura, Canary Islands and the territories and Spanish possessions in North Africa, giving way to the Andalusian Football Federation.

On January 1, 1913 its new stadium was inaugurated, the "Campo del Mercantil" (Mercantile Stadium), in the municipal areas of el "Prado de San Sebastián", whose transfer for being the playing field of the Sevilla FC was achieved by the president of the club from the Town Hall. The field owed its name to its location behind the Círculo Mercantil (Commercial Circle) booth. On October 21, 1918 a change of stadium took place, passing to the so-called Queen Victoria Stadium ("Reina Victoria" Stadium), in the current Paseo de la Palmera. It held the first match played by the Spanish National Team in Andalusia in 1923.

Sevilla FC won its first official trophy, the Seville Town Hall Cup, in 1913 after winning 2 - 0 to Sevilla Balompié. Sporting successes continued arriving since the official founding of the Andalusian Cup in 1916.

The Southern Federation was formed in 1915, and the Sevilla FC’s Chairman, Paco Alba, became its first President. The federation established the first official regional championship: the Cup of Andalusia, of which 23 editions were played, from 1916 until 1940. Sevilla FC won it in 16 occasions and in 2 he was runner-up. On the other hand, in "Copa del Rey" (only State Competition at the time) the best participation was in 1921, when they reached the semi-finals. The famous front known as “la línea del miedo” (“the line of fear"), composed by Enrique Spencer, Brand, and Escobar, among others, surprised the teams of the era, being the same Enrique Gómez Spencer the first international player Sevilla FC has had.

Sevilla FC played its first match outside Andalusia in 1915, in the capital of Spain, Madrid, against Real Madrid. On two consecutive days, Sevilla FC and Real Madrid played two matches with the victory of the local team on both occasions.

From 1923 to 1925, the lawyer and liberal politician of left-wing Manuel Blasco Garzón was named President, and appointed as Secretary, who would become his right arm, the future President Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. As regards Football itself, Blasco Garzón introduced numerous innovations: contract a doctor to attend the players, separate the positions of captain and trainer and instituted concentrations prior to the major and most important matches.

Beginning of the League Competition (1928-1934)

To create the League competition in the 1928/29 season the Royal Spanish Football Federation agreed to compose in First Division ten teams: those six that had gained until that moment the Cup of Spain, three that had been runner-ups without going so far as to gain the championship and another that would go out of a qualifying round between the rest of teams. The final took place between the Sevilla FC and the Racing Santander, disputing double encounter. The Racing won the victory, obtaining the promotion to First Division, while the defeated Sevilla FC remained framed in the Second Division. No Sevillian team played in First Division at the start of the Spanish League.

On October 7, 1928 was inaugurated the last stadium of the Sevilla FC before the actual one: the Stadium of Nervion, in the avenue Eduardo Dato and adjacent to where the current Stadium is, which went down in the history of Sevilla FC like the first one in which a League match was played. The match, of Second Division, was the first derby between Sevilla Football Club and Real Betis Balompié in League, winning 1-2 this last one. This season, Sevilla FC won the Second Division Championship. Nevertheless, the promotion to First Division was not automatic and a match with the last classified of First Division, again the Racing from Santander, was organized. As in the previous occasion, in round knockout matches, Racing won the triumph, achieving permanence.

In 1932, the club lawyer, Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Muñoz took over the Presidency and presided the club until 1941 and, again, between 1948 and 1956. Reducing expenses, attention to the quarry and a careful policy of signings were the most outstanding achievements of his presidency. The beginning of Sánchez Pizjuán was, however, complicated, due to the fact that in the season 1932/33 the Sevilla FC was almost relegated to Third Division, after being second to last in the Second Division Championship that season.

Promotion to First Division (1934)

On February 18, 1934, Sevilla FC won promotion to First Division, after beating in Madrid the “Atlético de Madrid” in the final match of the Championship and become leader (in any case, the following season it had been decided that in First Division the teams would be expanded to twelve, which is why the Sevilla FC could have been even second). For this reason numerous followers, “sevillistas,” travelled to Madrid, but in the return trip a railroad accident caused nine deaths and more than 50 wounded. As a consequence the celebrations planned by the achieved promotion were suspended. That year Guillermo Campanal and Fede debuted as international players with Spain in the World Cup of Italy. The ideal eleven that achieved this promotion was composed by: Eizaguirre, Deva, Euskalduna, Fede, Segura, Alcázar, Caro, Tache, Campanal, Torrontegui and Tejada. In the following season, Sevilla FC won the cup of the President of the Republic, first trophy at the national level in his list of winners. In spite of it, during the 1935/36 season Sevilla FC was about to descend again to Second Division, on having been third to last (two teams descended), and achieving the continuation in the last game of the season against “Atlético de Madrid”.

The Civil War

Due to the Civil War, the League was suspended for three seasons and football practice was under the control of the military authorities, due to the interest of the rebels to maintain the practice of this sport. In Seville, most of the players of the local teams that were in the pro-Franco zone were allowed to continue the practice of the sport, being given destinations in their home city and surroundings. Multiple charitable matches and regional tournaments were played. However, many of the players of the Sevillian teams from other regions of Spain had gone home for the holidays, and some of them who remained on the republican side joined the army. Of the “sevillistas”, Campanal was surprised by the outbreak of war in his homeland, Asturias, and after serving in the Republican Army and the fall of the northern front, returned to Seville. Eizaguirre, the goalkeeper, enlisted as a volunteer in the Legion, becoming captain and being wounded several times.

Between October 1936 and December 1938, Sevilla FC played 66 friendly matches, winning 55. However, the most important event in the history of Sevilla FC that took place during the Civil War was the acquisition in 1938 of the land where the stadium of Nervión stood, which until then was simply rented. The acquired lot not only included the land occupied by the stadium but also some lands annexed, where two decades later a new stadium would be built.

The First League (1946)

The decade after the Civil War would be one of the most fruitful for Sevilla FC: a League, a sub-championship and two Cups.

After the end of the war, Sevilla FC won the first “Copa del Generalísimo” (its second Cup in Spain), which preserves in property. The League was resumed and in the season 1939/40, the team achieved resounding victories: to FC Barcelona by 11-1, to Valencia CF by 10-3 or to Hercules CF by 8-3. However, the title escaped in the last game, in a tie with the “Hércules”. Their forward line, "los stukas" (called in the same way as the devastating German aircraft), scored 216 goals in four seasons. It was formed by: Lopez, Torrontegui, Campanal, Raimundo, Berrocal and Pepillo.

In 1941 Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán left the Presidency of the club to become Manager of the Spanish Football Federation. That year, the decree of February 22 which created the National Delegation of Sports, had placed the Spanish sport under the control of the government, limiting the social functions of the football clubs. The National Delegation, presided by José Moscardó, indirectly appointed the Presidents of the different football clubs (the heads of the different federations were designated and they named the Presidents of the clubs). After the leaving of Sánchez Pizjuán, Antonio Sánchez Ramos occupied temporarily the presidency up to the appointment of Jerónimo Domínguez y Pérez de Vargas, Marquess of Contadero, who was president of the club for six years until the return of Sánchez Pizjuán.

The good results in League were obtained between 1942 and 1946. Sevilla FC was runner-up in the 1942/43 season and third in the following. In the 1945/46 season the first and only Liga (League) up to now was won. The Coach of the team was Ramón Encinas and the eleven ideal players of that season were: Busto, Joaquín, Villalonga, Alconero, Félix (Antúnez), Eguiluz, López, Arza, Araujo, Herrera and Campos. In 1948, the club was proclaimed champion of the Spanish Cup for the third time in its history.

The most significant signing of those years was the striker Juan Arza, who, along with Alconero, was several times international player in the Spanish National Team. There was also the debut of the Campanal’s nephew, defense Campanal II, with his uncle as trainer. In the season 1950/51, with Campanal acting as the coach, the team was runner-up in the League.

Decade of 1950

In the 1952/53 season Campanal II played in the Spanish International Team. For the 1953/54 season coach Helenio Herrera was hired. In the League Competition, Helenio Herrera managed to be 5th in the 1953/54 season, 4th in the 1954/55 and 1955/56 seasons and 2nd in 1956/57. In 1954 the club put the construction of the new stadium out to tender because Nervión Stadium was already small. In the 1954/55 season, Arza was proclaimed best scorer achieving the so-called Pichichi trophy with 28 goals, and the team was runner-up in the Spanish Cup. In 1955, in order to celebrate the Club’s 50th anniversary, a triangular tournament was organized against the French Stade Reims and the Swedish IFK Norrköping, being Sevilla FC the champion in this comptetition.

On October 28, 1956 there took place a fact that produced great sorrow and grief in the “sevillista” fans: President Sánchez-Pizjuán died suddenly. As an appreciation to the deceased leader under whose chairmanship Sevilla FC had conquered three Cups of Spain, the fans decided that the new stadium to be constructed would be named after him. In the 1956/57 season the team achieved the runner-up in League, only behind Real Madrid of Di Stefano, what allowed Sevilla FC to compete, for the first time, in the European Cup, due to the fact that Real Madrid had won the previous year that same competition. The team that obtained this sub-championship was formed by Javier (Busto), Valero, Campanal II, Romero, Pepín (Ramoni), Herrera II (Enrique), Pepillo, Arza, Pahuet, Loren and Domenech, being coach Helenio Herrera who left the club at the end of the season. The following season Sevilla FC went through an absolute contrast. While in the League Sevilla FC was about to descend, saving itself in the last match of the season, in the European Cup it reached the quarter-finals, being defeated by Real Madrid which was again proclaimed champion.

After the death of the president, Ramón de Carranza, assumed the presidency for four years. It is said that he spoke these words at Sánchez Pizjuán’s tomb:

“Dear Ramon, now your friends, among who I am honoured to be one, are going to give you Christian burial, and on the following day, giving your body to the ground, we will start working and your dream that the Sevilla FC has a grand stadium will become a reality. Ramon, go in peace to heaven because your wishes will be fulfilled.”

Being true to his words, he made obligation bonds amounting to 50 million pesetas and a month and a half after Sánchez-Pizjuán’s death, the first stone was placed. The architect was Manuel Muñoz Monasterio, coauthor a few years before of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The stadium was inaugurated on September 7, 1958 in a friendly match against Real Jaen C F. Its first official match was at the opening of the 1958/59 League with victory by 2-4 of the eternal rival Real Betis Balompié.

Economic and Sport Crisis (1960-1975)

In the 1960s, Sevilla FC entered an economic crisis due to the debts acquired to build the new stadium, reason for which the club was obliged to the selling of its best players: the first one was Ruiz Sosa, to the Athletico de Madrid; then Francisco Gallego, to the Barcelona Football Club, with great anger among the fans; and the Paraguayan Agüero, to Real Madrid. Part of the adjacent land to the stadium was also sold to a bank.

In the 1967/68 season Sevilla FC descended to Second Division after having spent 31 consecutive seasons in First Division. But the following year the club finished leader in the Second Division, ascending again to First. The eleven players that managed this achievement were: Rodri, Santos Bedoya, Costas, Toni, Pazos, Hita, Berruezo, Bergara, Lebrón, Eloy II and Lora, being the coach Juan Arza and the President of the club Cisneros Palacios.

In the 1969/70 season, an Austrian coach came to the club, Max Merkel, nicknamed "Mister whip" for using very severe and harsh discipline techniques and training purposes. That season the club finished third in the League competition, and strikers Lora and Hita reached the internationality. However, a short time later, the club again faced a new crisis being relegated in the season 1972/73 back to Second Division, when it reached the lowest classification of its history. The player Pedro Berruezo died suddenly during a match in the “Municipal de Pasarón” Stadium, playing against the Pontevedra Football Club. In the 1973/74 season, proceeding from Gambia, the first black player in the history of the club was incorporated. He would be known as Biri Biri and the fans grew very fond of him. In the 1974/75 season, with Eugenio Montes Cabeza as president and Roque Olsen as trainer, the club obtained again the promotion to First Division and settled in this category with great stability. At the end of the 1970s came from Argentina players such as Héctor Scotta and Daniel Bertoni.

Stability without Titles (1976-1995)

In the 1980s the team included players such as Buyo, Francisco and Pintinho, who scored 4 goals to Ral Zaragoza, the day Manolo Cardo made his debut as coach. Directed first by Miguel Muñoz and later by Manolo Cardo the team participated during two consecutive seasons in the UEFA Cup, in 1981/1982 and 1982/83. The players Nimo, Maraver and Diosdado ascended to the first team from the Sevilla Atlético. The 75th anniversary of the club was celebrated with a variety of social events and a match against the Santos Futebol Clube from Brazil.

In 1982, the FIFA World Cup was held in Spain and Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium was one of its main sites. On this occasion, the stadium suffered a major remodeling and improvement of its facilities, especially with the lighting, that made the transmission of night matches for color television possible. Another novelty of the remodeling was the placement of a large mural, work of the sculptor from Cordoba Santiago del Campo. The most out-standing match was the semi-final in which the selection of France was defeated by the German in the midst of a polemic arbitral decision that has remained engraved in the memory of the French.

In 1984 Eugenio Montes Cabeza finished, after eleven years, his presidency and was replaced by the cattle businessman Gabriel Rojas, who as vice president had worked hard and made a great effort to make possible the finishing of the Satdium. In the 1985/86 season Manolo Cardo ceased as coach after five seasons and Francisco played the World Cup in 1986. In the 1986/87 season Luis Cuervas came to the presidency. In 1987, under the leadership of the coach Javier Azcargorta, new players such as Bengoechea, Dasayev, Polster, Salguero and De la Fuente came to the team. Nevertheless, these reinforcements did not achieve significant progress in the classification of the League and the club accumulated a debt for 900 million pesetas (5, 4 million euros). In the season 1989/90, with Vicente Cantatore as coach, the club obtained a new participation in the UEFA Cup. That year the Austrian striker Polster managed to reach 33 goals, being the “sevillista” player that has achieved the greatest amount of goals in one season.

In the 1992/93 season, after several months of negotiations, arrived from the Naples Diego Armando Maradona, costing the club 7.5 million dollars for his transfer. His passing through the club was not as good as expected, being let go from the club, among other things, for his injuries and problems with coach Bilardo. In the following seasons Luis Aragonés became trainer and the team, in one of them, was classified for the UEFA Cup (1994/95).

New Crisis (1995-2001)

In mid 1995 the Spanish law of sport came into force, obligating the teams that had become sporting limited associations to present endorsements as a prevision of debts before August 1, 1995. Sevilla FC and Celta de Vigo could not meet such deadlines, and therefore they were administratively descended to Second Division B. In its place, were promoted to First Division Valladolid and Albacete, and to Second Division Club Deportivo Leganés and Getafe CF, teams that had fallen the previous season for sporting reasons. Tens of thousands of fans of both clubs took the streets repeatedly to defend the interests of their teams. The board of directors of the Sevilla FC confirmed that the endorsements had been presented on time. In the end, the pressure of the fans managed to make the Federation retract itself, although this did not return Valladolid and Albacete to Second Division. Therefore First Division eventually became a competition with 22 teams, which lasted for two years.

These events led to an institutional instability. That year the club had four Presidents and three different coaches. First, came the resignation as President of Luis Cuervas, who was replaced internally by José Maria del Nido. Then, Francisco Escobar assumed the Presidency and afterwards Jose Maria Gonzalez de Caldas (1996-1997) succeeded him. In 1997 Rafael Carrión became President until the year 2000. In the season 1996/97, Sevilla FC descended to Second Division, where it remained for two years, achieving the promotion back to First Division in the 1998/99 season.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Presidency of the club was assumed by Roberto Alés who was backed up with the general mass of the fans. The situation of the club was at that time very delicate because the team had dropped back to Second Division (2000/01 season) and lacked relevant players because the veterans had retired, while others such as Marchena, Jesuli and Tsartas had been transferred to other clubs with the object of obtaining economic capital. In those delicate moments, the club opted for a relatively unknown trainer: Joaquín Caparrós. In his first season at the club, he made the team champion in Second Division three matches before the end of the season. His ideal eleven was composed by: Notario, David, Pablo Alfaro, Prieto, Héctor, Fredi, Casquero, Podestá (Francisco), Gallardo (Tevenet), Zalayeta (Michel)and Olivera.

The Period of International Titles (2001-2010)

In May 2002 Roberto Alés resigned as president and the sevillian lawyer Jose Maria del Nido assumed the presidency. One of his first decisions was to confirm that all the technical team of the club was to be headed by Caparrós as coach and Monchi as Sports Director.

On October 6, 2002, in a match between Sevilla FC and Real Betis, that took place in the Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, an incident that would cause great repercussion took place when a minor along with three other young men brutally beat up a security guard moments before the match had begun. As a result, the Stadium, Sánchez Pizjuán, was closed for four matches, being this the largest punishment ever imposed on a First Division Club. On the sports side, the team went better and better, and in the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

The 2005/06 season started with a new coach, Juande Ramos, celebrating the club brilliantly its centennial and winning for the first time in its history a European title, the UEFA Cup, in a final played in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. In the semifinals of this tournament, Antonio Puerta scored a memorable goal that facilitated the pass to the final. The ideal eleven that managed to be champion that season was composed by Palop, David, Javi Navarro, Escudé/Dragutinovic, Daniel Alves, Martí, Maresca, Adriano/Puerta, Kanouté, Jesús Navas and Saviola/Fabiano.

The season 2006/07 was probably the most successful of its history, when at the beginning of it, the team managed to win the European Super Cup beating FC Barcelona in Monaco. The club also conquered its second consecutive UEFA Cup in a final played in Glasgow against the Spanish Real Club Deportivo Espanyol. The match had an extra time and the title was decided in penalty shootout, being the goalkeeper Andrés Palop hero for stopping three throwings (Palop in one of the qualifying rounds prior to this match had scored a head goal after a corner kick, allowing this way the extra time of the match and the subsequent triumph of his team). In addition, Sevilla FC also won the Spanish King's Cup and finished third in the League with record scores and right to participate in the Champions League the following year. As a result of these successes, Sevilla FC received the trophy as best team of the World by the IFFHS in 2007, something that the club has also achieved previously in 2006. The ideal eleven during this season was composed by Palop, Alves, Javi Navarro, Escudé/Dragutinovic, Puerta, Jesús Navas, Poulsen, Renato, Adriano, Kanouté and Luis Fabiano, being Coach Juande Ramos.

The 2007/08 season was opened with a fifth title, the Spanish Super Cup, won against Real Madrid. However, this season was overshadowed by some incidents that had nothing to do with the sport itself and that marked the subsequent performance of the team. First, there was the sudden death of the player Antonio Puerta, who fainted in the first game of the League on August 25, 2007, and died on the 28th. Three days later, Sevilla FC lost in the European Super Cup final against Milan AC. Secondly, in October, Juande Ramos resigned as coach signing for the English club Tottenham Hotspur. After his departure, Manolo Jimenez, who was training Sevilla Atlético, became the new coach. Despite these problems, the club achieved first place in the Champions League group round, ahead of Arsenal, but falling in the second round on penalties to Fenerbahçe.

The 2008/09 season began with Manolo Jiménez as coach, and the sale of players such as Poulsen, Keita and Daniel Alves. In spite of this, the season was good, and Sevilla FC finished third in League, obtained the historical record of victories out of home, and was able to equal the best record of victories in League (21) achieved two years earlier.

In the season 2009/10 the sport successes kept on accompanying the club, on having gained the Spanish King’s Cup (Copa del Rey) and having achieved again the classification for the Champions League. On May 19, 2010 Sevilla FC was proclaimed champion of the King’s Cup disputed in Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona against the Atlético de Madrid. The final result was 0-2 with goals by Diego Capel and Jesus Navas. The team that achieved this victory was formed by the following players: Palop, Konko, Squillaci, Escudé, Luna, Zokora, Renato, Navas, Negredo, Kanouté, and Capel. Also to mention are Romaric y Perotti who came in during the second part of the match. The coach was Antonio Álvarez.

On the other hand, the player Jesús Navas was part of the Spanish National team that won the World Cup 2010 held in South Africa.

In 2010 Sevilla FC lost the Spanish Super Cup final to FC Barcelona by a total of 5-3 and was eliminated in the qualifying round of the Champions League before the Braga Sporting Clube 5-3, classifying thus for the European League.

Data

Entity: Sevilla Football Club, S.A.D

Address: C/ Sevilla Fútbol Club, s/n 41005 Sevilla.

Federation: Andalusian.

Shareholders Meeting Report

Sevilla FC held on December 10, 2009 its General Meeting of Shareholders in which a budget of revenue and expenditure for the season 2009/10 was announced amounting to 95.5 million EUR. President José María del Nido reported that the current debt of the club is 34 million Euros and that the exercise 2008/09 closed with a positive balance for almost 16 million Euros thanks to the income obtained by transfer of players. The club's own funds amounted to 44.5 million Euros.

Main Shareholders

Sevillistas de Nervion S.A. (Jose Maria del Nido, Roberto Alés, José Castro, José Martín Baena, Francisco Guijarro, and José Gómez Miñán)

Rafael Carrión Moreno

José María del Nido Benavente (main individual shareholder)

Rivalries

See also: El derbi Sevillano

In 1909, disagreement among some majority of the board of directors led to a split from which the Betis team was born; later in 1914 Real Betis was founded from the union of Betis FC and Sevilla Balompié.

On 8 October 1915, the first Sevilla-Betis derby took place, ending with a 4–3 Sevilla victory. The cross-town rivalry is considered one of the most violent and the most important derbies in Spain. And so, there have been many incidents throughout history.

On October 6, 2002, during a match of La liga at Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, there were some violent altercations in which a security guard was assaulted by a Sevilla supporter with a crutch, whose was introduced by another colleague (who did not need those crutches for walking) In addition, the match was interrupted because of an attempted assault to Betis goalkeeper Toni Prats by a Sevilla supporter . As of the 2006/07 season, 77 Sevilla derbies have been played in La Liga, of which Sevilla won 35, Real Betis won 26, and 16 ended in a draw.

During a quarterfinal match of the Copa del Rey on 28 February 2007, at Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, the game had to be suspended due to improper fan conduct on behalf of Real Betis. In the 60th minute a Real Betis supporter threw a projectile at then Sevilla manager Juande Ramos' head, subsequently knocking him out. Ramos' unconscious body had to be removed from the pitch on a stretcher to which the Sevilla FC footballers responded by abandoning the pitch in protest of this outburst of fan violence. As a result of the disgraceful behavior of their fans, Real Betis were condemned to their next 3 home matches being played in another venue by the Spanish Football Federation. Sevilla win the eliminatory and later won the Copa del Rey in Madrid. (Sevilla 1–0 Getafe), a bitter pill for Real Betis supporters to swallow during their centenary year as a club.

After 13 years of futility, on the 7 February 2009, Real Betis finally was able to beat Sevilla in their home stadium, Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, by the narrowest of margins in a 1–2 victory for the visitors. However, despite this match, Sevilla FC would go on to finish 3rd in the table, qualifying for its second UEFA Champions League berth, while Real Betis would go on to finish 18th in the table, being relegated to Spain's second division.

Club information

Organisation

Sevilla is owned by its fans, with the stocks distributed across a few major holders and a large base of fans. The club supports one of the most renowned training academies in the country, which has produced many famous players.^{[citation needed]}

Sevilla has also promoted innovations, such as a school of sport psychologists, who provide support for the younger as well as the professional players, and also more recently sports nutrition and medicine.^{[citation needed]} Another recent success for Sevilla FC has been the establishment of its own radio station, "Sevilla FC Radio" (the first of its kind in Spain), their own local TV channel, "SFC TV", as well as other official media.

Stadium

Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium

Sevilla FC's stadium is named after its former president Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán and has a spectator capacity of 45,500. The stadium is located in the neighborhood of Nervión. Sevilla's performance in La Liga in the last few seasons has led to an increase in the number of season ticket holders, making it necessary to create a waiting list for tickets.

Kit

The team wears white, with red-striped sleeves and black socks, for home games and red, with white-striped sleeves, for away games. Their kit is provided by the sports clothing and equipment manufacturer Li Ning Company Limited.

Biris

Some fans of the team (those who stand in of the north end of the stadium) call themselves Biris. They got their name from Alhaji Momodo Nije, who was nicknamed Biri-Biri. Alhaji, a Gambian player known for his intensity and mercurial nature, was so popular with the Sevilla fans, despite being black, that the most loyal fans named their cheering section (and thus, themselves) after him. They are also the oldest football fan group in Spain .

Affiliations

The clubs reserves Sevilla Atlético play in the Segunda División – Group 4. The club is also affiliated to Sevilla, a team playing in the Puerto Rico Soccer League.

Sevilla FC in Europe

European Cup/UEFA Champions League

European Cup/UEFA Champions League
Season	Round	Rival	Home	Away	Agg.
1957–58	Qualifying Round	SL Benfica	3–1	0–0	3–1
	Round of 16	AGF Aarhus	4–0	2–0	4–2
	Quarterfinals	Real Madrid CF	2–2	8–0	10–2
2007–08	Third Qualifying Round	AEK Athens	2–0	1–4	6–1
	Group Stage (Group H)	Arsenal FC	3–1	3–0	–
		Slavia Prague	4–2	0–3
		Steaua Bucureşti	2–1	0–2
	Round of 16	Fenerbahçe	3–2 (a.e.t.)	3–2	5–5 (2–3 p.)
2009–10	Group Stage (Group G)	Unirea Urziceni	2–0	1–0	–
		Glasgow Rangers	1–0	1–4
		VfB Stuttgart	1–1	1–3
	Round of 16	CSKA Moskva	1–2	1–1	3–2
2010–11	Fourth Qualifying Round	SC Braga	3–4	1–0	5–3

UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League

UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
Season	Round	Rival	Home	Away	Agg.
1982–83	Round of 64	Levski Sofia	3–1	0–3	6–1
	Round of 32	PAOK Thessaloniki	4–0	2–0	2–4
	Round of 16	1. FC Kaiserslautern	1–0	0–4	1–4
1983–84	Round of 64	Sporting CP	1–1	3–2	3–4
1990–91	Round of 64	PAOK Thessaloniki	0–0	0–0 (a.e.t.)	0–0 (3–4 p.)
	Round of 32	Torpedo Moskva	2–1	3–1	4–3
1995–96	Round of 64	Botev Plovdiv	2–0	1–1	3–1
	Round of 32	Olympiakos Piraeus	1–0	2–1 (a.e.t.)	2–2 (a)
	Round of 16	FC Barcelona	1–1	3–1	2–4
2004–05	Third Qualifying Round	Nacional Madeira	2–0	1–2	4–1
	Group Stage (Group H)	Alemannia Aachen	2–0	–	–
		Zenit	–	1–1
		AEK Athens	3–2	–
		LOSC Lille	–	1–0
	Round of 32	Panathinaikos	2–0	1–0	1–2
	Round of 16	Parma FC	0–0	1–0	0–1
2005–06	Third Qualifying Round	FSV Mainz 05	0–0	0–2	2–0
	Group Stage (Group H)	Beşiktaş	3–0	–	–
		Zenit	–	2–1
		Vitória Guimarães	3–1	–
		Bolton	–	1–1
	Round of 32	Lokomotiv Moskva	2–0	0–1	0–3
	Round of 16	LOSC Lille	2–0	1–0	1–2
	Quarterfinals	Zenit	4–1	1–1	5–2
	Semifinals	FC Schalke 04	1–0 (a.e.t.)	0–0	0–1
	Final	Middlesbrough	0–4
2006–07	Third Qualifying Round	Atromitos	4–0	1–2	1–6
	Group Stage (Group C)	Slovan Liberec	–	0–0	–
		SC Braga	2–0	–
		Grasshoppers	–	0–4
		AZ Alkmaar	1–1	–
	Round of 32	Steaua Bucureşti	1–0	0–2	0–3
	Round of 16	Shakhtar Donetsk	2–2	2–3 (a.e.t.)	5–4
	Quarterfinals	Tottenham	2–1	2–2	4–3
	Semifinals	CA Osasuna	2–0	1–0	1–2
	Final	RCD Espanyol	2–2 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p.)
2008–09	Third Qualifying Round	Red Bull Salzburg	2–0	0–2	4–0
	Group Stage (Group C)	VfB Stuttgart	2–0	–	–
		Standard Liège	–	1–0
		Partizan Beograd	3–0	–
		Sampdoria	–	1–0
2011–12	Fourth Qualifying Round	Hannover 96	1–1	2–1	3–2

UEFA Super Cup

UEFA Super Cup
Edition	Rival	Score
2006	FC Barcelona	0–3
2007	AC Milan	3–1

European Cup Winners' Cup

European Cup Winners' Cup
Season	Round	Rival	Home	Away	Agg.
1962–63	Qualifying Round	Glasgow Rangers	2–0	4–0	4–2

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Season	Round	Rival	Home	Away	Agg.
1966–67	Qualifying Round	Dinamo Piteşti	2–2	2–0	4–2
1970–71	Round of 64	Eskişehirspor	1–0	3–1	2–3

Honours

National tournaments

• La Liga

Winners (1): 1945–46

Runners-up (4): 1939–40, 1942–43, 1950–51, 1956–57

• Copa del Rey

Winners (5): 1935, 1939, 1947–48, 2006–07, 2009–10

Runners-up (2): 1956, 1961–62

• Supercopa de España

Winners (1): 2007

Runners-up (1): 2010

• Segunda División

Winners (4): 1929, 1933–34, 1968–69, 2000–01

Before the Spanish national competitions started, Sevilla also won 17 Andalusian Championships, and were crowned twice as Champions of Sevilla.

International tournaments

• UEFA Cup

Winners (2): 2005–06, 2006–07

• UEFA Super Cup

Winners (1): 2006

Runners-up (1): 2007

Players

As of 12 december 2011

For a list of all former and current Sevilla FC players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:Sevilla FC footballers.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Andrés Palop (captain) 2 DF Federico Fazio 3 DF Fernando Navarro 6 DF Emir Spahić 7 MF Jesús Navas (vice-captain) 8 MF Gary Medel 9 FW Álvaro Negredo 10 MF Diego Perotti 11 MF Ivan Rakitić 12 FW Frédéric Kanouté 13 GK Javi Varas

No. Position Player 14 DF Julien Escudé 15 MF Piotr Trochowski 16 MF José Campaña 17 MF Tiberio Guarente 19 DF Antonio Luna 20 FW Manu del Moral 21 MF José Antonio Reyes 23 DF Coke 24 MF Tom De Mul 25 FW Baba Diawara 31 DF Cala

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 5 DF Alexis (at Getafe CF) — DF Bernardo Espinosa (at Racing Santander) — MF Lautaro Acosta (at Racing Santander)

No. Position Player — MF Romaric (at Espanyol) — FW Arouna Koné (at Levante)

Antonio Puerta

On the first day of La Liga 2007–08 season, Sevilla were playing Getafe when Antonio Puerta began walking towards his goal area, fell to the ground, placed his hands on his knees, and collapsed onto his back. Ivica Dragutinović, Andrés Palop and Sevilla medical staff came to aid him to make sure of him not swallowing his tongue. He was revived and substituted. In the dressing room afterwards, he collapsed again. He was hospitalized and after three days in hospital (in which he was in a 'critical condition' and his health was 'unfavourable') reports came from the Spanish media that Puerta had died. These reports were later confirmed.

As a mark of respect for his passing, players from Sevilla and AC Milan printed "Puerta" on their shirts during the European Super Cup match on 31 August 2007. Furthermore, as Milan went on to win the match 3–1, no jubilation was shown as a sign of respect for the grief sustained by Sevilla, as the win was dedicated to Puerta. Sevilla intended to retire the number "16" shirt as a sign of respect of Puerta but RFEF rules require La Liga clubs to use the numbers 1 to 25 for their regular squad. Instead, Puerta's good friend David Prieto was given the number 16 shirt. Sevilla also ordered one minute of silence before each match in their Liga season 2007–08. When Sevilla are playing at home the Sevilla fans show respect to Puerta by clapping throughout the 16th minute (Puerta's number 16) The number is now worn by José Campaña.

Sevilla FC reserves

• Sevilla Atlético, will play the 2011/12 season in Segunda División B Group 4.
• Sevilla FC C, will play the 2011/12 in Tercera División Group 10.

Coaches

Joaquín Valenzuela (1908-10) Eugenio Eizaguirre (1910-17) Pepe Brand (1917-21), (1939-41), (1942) Arturo Ostos (1921-23) Charles O'Hagan (1923-24) Ángel Villagrán (1924-27) Lippo Hertzka (1927-30) José Quirante (1930-33) Ramón Encinas (1933-36), (1945-47), (1959) Victoriano Santos (1941-42) Patrick O'Connell (1942-45) Patricio Caicedo (1947-49) Guillermo Campanal (1949–53), (1957), (1959) Helenio Herrera (1953–56) Satur Grech (1956-57) Diego Villalonga (1957-58), (1961), (1971), (1972) Jenő Kalmár (1958) José Antonio Ipiña (1958-59) Luis Miró (1959-61)

Antonio Barrios (1961-63), (1967-68) Otto Bumbel (1963-64) Ferdinand Daučík (1964-65) Ignacio Eizaguirre (1965-66) Juan Arza (1966), (1967), (1967-68), (1972-73) Sabino Barinaga (1966) Max Merkel (1969–71) Dan Georgiadis (1971–72) Vic Buckingham (1972) Salvador Artigas (1973) Ernst Happel (1973) Roque Olsen (1974–76), (1989) Luis Cid "Carriega" (1976–79) Miguel Muñoz (1979-81) Manolo Cardo (1981–86) Jock Wallace (1986-87) Xavier Azkargorta (1987–89) Vicente Cantatore (1989–91) Víctor Espárrago (1991–92), (1996)

Carlos Bilardo (1992–93), (1997) Luis Aragonés (1993–95) Toni Oliveira (1995) Juan Carlos Álvarez (1995-96), (1997–98), (2000) José Antonio Camacho (1996–97) Julián Rubio (1997) Vicente Miera (1997) Fernando Castro Santos (1998–99) Marcos Alonso (1999–00) Joaquín Caparrós (2000–05) Juande Ramos (2005–07) Manolo Jiménez (2007–10) Antonio Álvarez (2000–08, assistant), (2010) Gregorio Manzano (2010–11) Marcelino (2011–12) Míchel (2012–)

see also Category:Sevilla FC managers

External links

• (Spanish) Official website
• (Spanish)(English) Sevilla at La Liga
• (Spanish) Futbolme team profile
• (Spanish) Complete European record
• (Russian) SevillaFC.Ru Russian website spanish fans Sevilla FC
• Estadio de Espana