Spurs and Arsenal, West Ham and Chelsea, Rangers and Celtic, AC Milan and Inter - many cities have rival football clubs whose fans have maintained years of animosity, or friendly debate. It may be geographical, it may religious, but there's nothing like a derby to get a city's blood rising to boiling point. Probably the most famous rivalry in Andalucian, if not Spanish football, is Seville and Betis - the red-and-whites vs the green-and-whites.
SEVILLA FC
EARLY DAYS
Seville was started first - officially in 1905, but the earliest football match took place in the city before then, in 1890, against the newly-founded Huelva club Deportivo, which was started by British mineworkers who brought the game to Spain, along with British sailors and Spanish students returning from Britain. Its name, Sevilla FC (Football Club, rather than CF - Club de Futbol) reflects its British origins.
WHERE'S THEIR STADIUM AND WHAT HAVE THEY WON?
Named after the club’s former president, Estadio Sanchez Pijuan is situated in Nervion district, to the south-east of the city centre; its capacity is 45,500. The stadium is right next to Nervion Metro station; this is the best form of transport to use on match days, as parking is very difficult. The following buses also stop near the stadium: 5, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29, 32, B3, B4 and C2. The club is owned by its fans, who are called 'Sevillistas'.
They won the Copa del Rey in 1934, 1938 and 1948, and the Liga in 1945; then, after a half-century without titles, won the UEFA Cup in both 2005 and 2006, becoming the first Andalucian team to win a European final, and only the second club to defend the title successfully. This winning streak continued with the Copa del Rey in 2007, as well as the Super Cup that year, when they beat the Liga champions, the mighty Real Madrid.
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TRIVIA
Seville fans clap through the 16th minute of every home game in honour of Antonio Puerta, the young player with number 16 shirt, who died after collapsing during the first match of the 2007 season.
Seville has its own radio and TV stations, Sevilla FC Radio and SFC TV.
The ´Biris' are hardcore Sevilla fans, or 'ultras', named after Gambian player Alhaji Momodo Njle, known as Biri-Biri. They sit in their own area - in the north stand - and officially claim to be antiracist and antifascist.
REAL BETIS BALOMPIE
EARLY DAYS
Betis, full name Real Betis Balompie, followed in 1907, founded by students from the Polytechnic. They were led by another Brit, Henry Jones - known as Papa Jones - who was their first chairman; their inaugural match was also against Huelva, in 1908. With royal decree from Alfonso XIII (he of the Seville luxury hotel) in 1915, they gained the 'Real'. Betis is generally considered the more working-class team, since it was founded as a breakaway from Seville, who refused to allow a player in because he was 'just a simple worker'.
WEHRE'S THEIR STADIUM AND WHAT HAVE THEY WON?
The Betis stadium, Benito Villamarin (built for the 1929 Expo, also named after a former president), is in Heliopolis district, to the south of the city centre - at the far end of Avenida de la Palmera. The stadium seats 51,700. You can get to the Betis stadium by bus – all the following routes go there: 1, 2, 6, 34, 37. Fans are called 'Beticos' or ´verdiblancos' (green whites).
Betis won the Liga in 1935 and their first Copa del Rey in 1977 and was the first Andalucian club to make it into the UEFA Champions League. They won their second Cup in 2005.
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TRIVIA
Betis' name is derived from Baetica, the Roman name for the Guadalquivir river, which runs through Seville. Balompie is the literal Spanish word for football, as opposed to the anglicized version, futbol.
The colours originated when one of the club's founders returned from Glasgow with a Celtic strip, and it was decided to adopt the same green and black stripes; the black was subsequently changed for white, making their colours the same as the Andalucian flag.
Their stadium is named after their chairman, Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, a colourful and controversial character. His pet dog, Hugo the 'singing' Husky, is a star in his own right.
SEVILLA AND BETIS: HEAD TO HEAD
To say it is a fierce rivalry is an understatement: recently, fans have even celebrated their own defeat, if it causes the relegation of the other team.
Their first derby took place in 1915, with Seville winning 4-3, which more or less set a precedent: Betis lost again the following year in the first Copa Andalucia. Since then, Seville has won around 65 per cent of their derbies.
In 2007, a Seville-Betis Copa del Rey quarter-final had to be suspended after a Betis supporter threw a projectile at the then-Seville manager, Juande Ramos, and knocked him unconscious. Betis were sanctioned by having to play their next three home matches at another venue.
In 2009 Betis beat Seville at home for the first time in 13 years.
