Real Betis May Hear Those Magic Words: ‘Financial Irregularities’.

This was the scene but two months ago. Real Betis fans, much like their team, going head to head with a force – the police here, La Liga in Real’s case – and not quite coming out on the right side. In the team’s case, they have money. Plenty of it. Perhaps not Florentino Perez money, but enough to scoop up the lads they so desire. But they, along with those striped fellers on Tyneside, have proven that big money buys ain’t everything through insanely expensive trips to the second division – at their 100th birthday party, no less.

Xerez, who won promotion to the top division through hookers, drive-by’s, and not playing Jozy Altidore, were Bizarro Real Betis. No money, no history, no chance of making their inaugural bow at the dance. Except they did, finishing first place with a golden ticket in hand. And now they may not, due to those magic words: financial irregularities.

The combination of histories between these two teams is what makes it so interesting. Real Betis, though no stranger to slumming in the Segunda, has money, history and expectation behind it; Xerez has none of those. Real Betis is the club which should be in La Liga, while Zerez is the club which should be in the Segunda. Again. Now, with the latter looking at a charge of ‘financial irregularities’, one which carries a precedent of demotion, that ’shoulda been’ might suddenly find itself the present and near future, with Betis taking its place back in the premier division as the last team relegated. Still an uphill battle for Real Betis, but a glimmer of hope nonetheless.

So you have to wonder if the football gods are something of a democratic system, where the chairpersons are voted in on two or four year terms. Recently, it’s been England’s show. But now the power has shifted decidedly towards Spain – La Furia Roja, Barcelona, Cristiano, Ricky & Zlatan are proof enough of this – which leads us to conclude the current head of affairs is a Spaniard. They house the world’s best team, the world’s best marketing potential, the world’s best players, big football’s best tax system and Jermaine Pennant. Everything is falling into line, so how can they possibly go wrong?

And while all applause is due Xerez and their jump, Real Betis makes La Liga a better league. Yes, they might forget how to play football and spend much of the season discussing pestinos recipes mid-match, but they also might make it to Europe. Provided, of course, they sell Ricardo Oliveira and Sergio Garcia to anyone who with a death wish.

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Category: Spain La Liga, World Football