My Football Travels: Málaga

Showing posts with label Málaga. Show all posts

Sunday, 24 October 2010

Tour of Estadio La Rosaleda (Málaga CF)

I did not get to see a game this weekend which meant I finally I had some time to post the pictures I took during the stadium tour at Esatadio La Rosaleda, home of Málaga Club de Fútbol. On Monday 6th September 2010 my wife and I took the train from Benalmádena, the resort we were staying in, to Málaga. I do not think there is a direct bus link from Maria Zambrano, the main train station in Málaga, to La Rosaleda so we embarked on a 30-minute walk to the stadium. The alternative would have been a taxi but it is an easy walk, no steep hills or anything like that and basically one straight road.

The stadium was opened in 1941 and there have been several renovations in recent years. The current capacity is 28,963. La Rosaleda also hosted three World Cup first round group matches in 1982, including Scotland v New Zealand (5-2) and Scotland v Soviet Union (2-2). The other game was the mouthwatering clash between the Soviet Union and New Zealand (3-0). The stadium is not owned by the football club, its ownership is shared between the municipality of Málaga, the Málaga Provincial Council and the autonomous Government of Andalusia.

Before we left for Spain I had already seen there was the possibility of a stadium tour on the club's official website. Luckily we were able to get tickets for the home game against Valencia on 28th August but I thought it would be nice to see other parts of the grounds as well. Normally the tour, which includes a visit to the museum, costs €10, however there was a reduced fee of €5 in place now because the stadium was once more being renovated and we were not able to see some parts of the stadium that are normally part of the tour. That meant we did not get to see the press room, home team dressing room or the hall of fame. My wife and I were the only visitors when we arrived at the museum at 10:30 and we were given a private tour by Rocío. She spoke a little English but it would probably help if you understand Spanish (which I do not) because we were not given a lot of additional information by the guide and all plaques etc. in the museum were in Spanish only. Luckily the short film that was shown in the museum had Spanish subtitles.

All in all an interesting visit especially if you are not able to see any games at the ground.

Approaching the ground.

The ticket windows.

I assume this picture was taken after Malaga CD had beaten Real Madrid 6-2 in the 1983/84 season.

Executive seats in the Tribuna.

The Fondo stand.

The Preferencia stand.

The Gol stand.

The away dressing room had just been painted.

And again the away dressing room.

Also a new lick of paint in the massage room.

The home dugout.

The new seats for the fourth official.

The away dugout.

The Tribuna seen from pitch-level.

The Fondo end seen from the pitch.

The Gol end seen from the pitch.

Málaga won the Intertoto Cup in 2002 which meant qualification for the 2002/03 UEFA Cup. They exceeded everyone's expectations and reached the quarter finals in which they lost on penalties to Portuguese outfit Boavista.

Last season's strip I believe.

Good to see that dodgy football songs are not only recorded in Britain and Holland.

Plenty to see in the museum but some knowledge of the Spanish language would definitely be helpful.

Friday, 10 September 2010

Estadio La Rosaleda (Málaga CF v Valencia CF)

I have just returned from a two-week holiday in Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol during which I was lucky enough to see Málaga CF play their first league game of the season at La Rosaleda. Although my wife and I had booked our holidays in January of this year I was not sure if Málaga were actually playing a home game during the 14 days we were in Spain (or even still playing in La Liga for that matter), also because I knew that the first weekend of September, as always, was reserved for international matches. La Liga were probably the last of the major leagues in Europe to release the fixture schedule for 2010/2011 and I was happy to find out that the first Málaga game of the season was a home match, against Valencia of all clubs. I was in Valencia last summer but unfortunately I was unable to see any games (a friendly against Arsenal taking place days after we had returned to Scotland) and I had only been able to take pictures of the beautiful Mestalla from outside the stadium.

Tickets for the Valencia game went on sale a few days before the game (when I was still in Scotland) and I had already heard that the cheaper tickets behind the goals (at €35) were usually the first to be gone. I had been in touch via email with Reggie who organises a coach from Inchy's Sports Pub in Benalmádena to all Málaga home games. He advised me to get my tickets as soon as possible because a near sell-out was expected and as soon as my wife and I had unpacked our suitcases on Friday 27th August we took the train to Málaga to purchase our briefs. After a 30-minute journey we arrived at María Zambrano train station. It was only a short walk to the Málaga CF shop in the Larios shopping mall but my heart sank when the lady in the shop shook her head when I asked if any tickets were left for the Valencia game. Fortunately it turned out she only meant that she did not speak English and plenty of tickets were left so we bought the cheapest ones still available at €40 each.

The next day we went to Inchy's bar in Benalmádena at around 5pm. It was packed with tourists, watching various football and rugby league games, and many ex-pats in Málaga CF replica shirts. I spoke to one of the guys having a pint outside the bar who told me the atmosphere at the Rosaleda was always brilliant, like being at a game 'back home 20 years ago.' I asked him if he knew Reggie but he did not although his pal knew he was the guy who made the new English-language fanzine (Los Blanquiazules, a good read by the way). After we got off the coach in Málaga I finally met Reggie and his wife (edit: no she is not...) Val, who turned out to be from Glasgow, and they showed us the bar where the Guiri Army meet up on matchdays, the Bodego Hermanos Madrid near the stadium. There were a lot of ex-pats and Spanish Málaga fans drinking on the street outside the bar, a tremendous pre-match atmosphere without a hint of trouble and no police presence. I have to say a much more enjoyable and authentic atmosphere than outside Camp Nou.

After a few beers my wife and I walked to the stadium and had some trouble finding our seats. The only steward in our section was not a very helpful chap but a Spanish supporter pointed us in the right direction. The match was virtually sold out and there was a lot of expectation in the air tonight despite the fact that the Boquerones only narrowly avoided relegation last season. The reason for this optimism is the recent takeover of the club by Qatari businessman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani. He has pledged to invest millions in the club over the next few years and he has already brought in a good number of new players for this season. The takeover also meant the club's sponsorshop deal with bookmakers William Hill was cancelled because gambling does not sit well with muslims (as it happens a bookmaker as shirt sponsor would not even be legal in the Netherlands).

However despite all the buzz, Valencia had a reasonably easy night at La Rosaleda. Málaga's new boys have potential but the team probably need a bit more time to gel. The home team were lucky to be level at half time (1-1) but after the interval Los Che made sure they would take all three points back to the Mestalla with two stunning Joaquín goals. The stadium was impressive and I went back last Monday for a tour of the ground which comes with a visit to the Málaga CF museum, pictures will follow soon! Despite the defeat the mood on the coach back to Benalmádena was still upbeat. I had a great time at La Rosaleda, definitely recommended if you are on holiday on the Costa del Sol!

For pictures of the stadium tour at La Rosaleda see this post.