The atmosphere at Mestalla is renowned for being one of the hottest in Spain, and that heat has been directed at one person for a long time – owner Peter Lim. After Valencia sunk to the bottom of the table on Monday night, losing to Las Palmas, around a 2,000 fans protested against Lim once more.
The Singapore-based magnate is reportedly open to selling the club, but his asking price has so far warded off any potential suitors, with plenty of debt and a new stadium to pay for too. Before the game, fans protested Lim’s ownership and the arrests of two fans who put up ‘Lim go home’ stickers in his native Singapore. After the match, around 2,000 fans, as per Cadena Cope, remained outside to express their disgust.
Some of the songs certainly crossed the line, with some singing ‘Get after them’, ‘We want a bomb in Singapore’ and ‘You won’t get out’, directed at those within Mestalla, the club’s hierarchy.
The police were reportedly charged at by a group of 250 fans, as per 3cat, and the authorities then charged at fans too, clearing fans off the street. Seven people have been identified as having been guilty of civil disobedience, while one 46-year-old man was arrested.
The fire brigade were also called to put out a blaze started in a bin, as another sign of protest. It is further evidence of the toxic situation at the club, with fans long-since exhausted by Lim’s management and lack of investment. As a privately owned club though, there seems little end in sight to the situation, unless a major investor gets involved.